Jon E. Zibbell

Dr. Jon E. Zibbell, PhD. is a senior scientist in RTI’s Center for Health Behavior and Implementation Science. Dr. Zibbell is a behavioral scientist with decades of field experience, conducting ethnographic and epidemiological research with people who inject drugs. He is PI of numerous NIDA-funded studies in Appalachia and the South, where he investigates the impact of unlawful drug markets on illicit drug consumption and the public health. Before RTI, Dr. Zibbell conducted research on the hepatitis and drug overdose epidemics as a CDC health scientist in the Divisions of Viral Hepatitis and the National Injury Center. Dr. Zibbell was a CDC-appointed member of the White House Heroin Task Force and helped the Obama Administration develop its heroin response strategy, in addition to serving on a Department of Health and Human Services committee that crafted guidelines for the federal government’s (short-lived) funding syringe services programs. Beyond research, Dr. Zibbell works with states and jurisdictions in developing localized approaches to reduce drug-related harm and continues to volunteer at needle exchange programs as a harm reduction worker. Dr. Zibbell has published extensively on the adverse effects of drug markets and drug consumption on public health and he holds a visiting appointment in the Department of Anthropology at Emory University.