Kurtzman Named to NASEM Committee to Study Public Health Consequences of Cannabis Policy Landscape

September 7, 2023

Ellen T. Kurtzman, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, professor and executive director of the Bloustein School’s health administration programs, has been named a member of a prestigious Ad Hoc Committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). 

The Committee will be working on a NASEM report/project, “Public Health Consequences of Changes in the Cannabis Policy Landscape.” Many states have been moving toward the legalization of cannabis and cannabis products, but the public health implications of these policy changes have not been fully evaluated. In this study, the committee will review the public health impacts of cannabis and cannabinoid use, both medical and non-medical, among adults in the states and localities where it is legal. 

Dr. Kurtzman joined the Bloustein School in August 2022.  Her investigator-initiated research explores the impact of federal, state, and institutional policies on health care delivery and the role of the health care workforce in achieving higher-value care. Recent work also explored the role of team-based care in the quality of office-based physician practices and the impact of states’ cannabis policies on health outcomes. 

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are the nation’s pre-eminent source of high-quality, objective advice on science, engineering, and health matters. Top experts participate in projects, activities, and studies to examine and assemble evidence-based findings to address some of society’s greatest challenges.

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