Dr. Winstanley received her doctoral degree from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, her postdoctoral training was in behavioral pharmacology, and she has 25+ years of experience as a behavioral health services researcher. She is the Multiple Principal Investigator (mPI) of the Appalachian Node of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network (CTN), and she is a member of the Tailored Retention and Engagement for Equitable Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder and Pain (TREETOP) study team. Her current research is focused on reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with the overdose epidemic, as well as the use of technology to improve access and quality of behavioral health services. She has expertise in rural health, clinical trials, patient-reported outcomes, and health policy. Her work is committed to discovering and implementing evidence-based strategies to improve health outcomes for individuals with behavioral health problems. She has extensive experience working with trainees, clinicians, community organizations and key stakeholders.
Dr. Winstanley is an active member and former Board Member of the College on the Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), the longest standing professional association in the United States that focuses on substance use, misuse, and substance use disorders. Prior to becoming interested in research as an undergraduate, she was pursuing theatrical training at the Educational Center for the Arts (ECA) and the Carnegie Mellon University Pre-College Drama program. In her personal time, she enjoys biking, hiking and camping.
Education & Training
- BA, Sociology, Southern Connecticut State University, 1993
- MA, Sociology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1996
- PhD, Health Policy & Management (Health Services Research Track), Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2006
Representative Publications
Winstanley EL. The bell tolls for thee & thine: Compassion fatigue & the overdose epidemic. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2020 Nov; 85:102796.
In this editorial, I coin the term overdose-related compassion fatigue in order to provide individuals with a way to talk about the human suffering caused by the opioid epidemic. The purpose of this editorial was to 1) define overdose-related compassion fatigue (OCF) and the impact on rural communities, 2) review measurement of compassion fatigue and interventions, 3) discuss strategies that may reduce OCF and 4) briefly discuss policy implications.
Winstanley EL, Mahoney JJ, Castillo F, Comer SD. Neurocognitive impairments and brain abnormalities resulting from opioid-related overdoses: A systematic review. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2021 Sep 1; 226:108838.
This is the first systematic review of opioid overdose-related cognitive impairments and/or brain injuries. The review included 79 articles published between 1973-2020, representing 21 countries, that reported brain abnormalities after an opioid overdose ranging from mild to severe.
Winstanley EL, Thacker EP, Choo LY, Lander LR, Berry JH, Tofighi B. Patient-reported problems filling buprenorphine prescriptions and motivations for illicit use. Drug Alcohol Depend Rep. 2022 Sep 8;5:100091.
This study reports the results of a cross-sectional survey of patients receiving outpatient buprenorphine treatment for an opioid use disorder. More than a third of participants reported having problems filling their buprenorphine prescriptions at the pharmacy and those with such problems were more likely to report non-medical use of buprenorphine.
Winstanley EL, Newhouse A, Law KB. (2023) Chapter 44: The Impact of Opioid Use Disorders Families and Children. In Dunn K (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Opioids and Opioid Use Disorders, Oxford University Press.
The consequences of an opioid use disorder (OUD) and the overdose epidemic span beyond the individual suffering with the disease and this book chapter summarizes existing research on how OUD has impacted families and children.
Click here for a more complete bibliography of Dr.Winstanley’s works.
Research Interests
- Reducing morbidity and mortality associated with the overdose epidemic
- The use of technology to improve access and quality of behavioral health services