People

Palamar-276-303
Joseph Palamar, PhD, MPH
NYU Langone Health - Professor, Department of Population Health
Email: joseph.palamar@nyu.edu
Education
PhD, Public Health, New York University
MPH, Public Health, New York University
MA, Educational Psychology, New York University
BA, Forensic Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Research Interests
Epidemiology of illicit drug use, club drugs, new psychoactive substances, stigma, risky sexual intercourse
BIO
Joseph Palamar’s research and publication record reflect his commitment to investigate the epidemiology of drug use. He has a diverse background in psychology, epidemiology, and in the study of drug use, and specializes in psychosocial correlates of drug use. He has focused heavily on the epidemiology of new psychoactive substance use, “club drug” use, and drug-related risky sexual behavior — especially within the electronic dance music (EDM) nightclub and festival scene. He also has extensive experience analyzing data from large national datasets such as Monitoring the Future and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Projects
Principal Investigator, A Pilot Life-Course Analytic Framework for Analyzing Comorbidity Clusters among Individuals with HIV and Substance Use. Active
Principal Investigator, Investigating the Ketamine Landscape: Availability, Medical and Recreational Use, and Effects. Active
Principal Investigator, New Psychoactive Substance Exposure among NYC Nightclub and Festival Attendees. Active
Principal Investigator, Novel Methods for Estimating the Prevalence of Drug Use among Older Adults. Active
Principal Investigator, Development of a Rapid Survey to Detect Use of New and Emerging Drugs. Completed
Principal Investigator, Drug Use Among Nightclub and Dance Festival Attendees in New York City. Completed
Principal Investigator, Pilot Study Examining the Sexual Effects of Cannabis Use. Completed
Principal Investigator, Pilot Study to Collect Saliva and Follow-up Survey Response Rates among EDM Party Attendees. Completed
Principal Investigator, Use of Psychoactive Drugs and Sexual Risk Behavior among Nightclub and Festival Attendees. Completed
Publications

Recent

Palamar JJ, Krotulski AJ, Abukahok N, Acosta P, Walton SE, Stang B, Cleland CM (2026).
Considering unintentional exposure when testing for cocaine use via oral fluid testing
Forensic Science International, 387, 113052. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2026.113052. PMCID: PMC13307504.

Palamar JJ, Denn MT, Abukahok N, Acosta P, Walton SE, Stang B, Krotulski AJ (2026).
Surface swabbing of nightclub venues to monitor the presence of cocaine, ketamine, and MDMA
American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 52 (3), 303-308. doi: 10.1080/00952990.2026.2640486. PMCID: PMC13048298.

Friedman JR, Palamar JJ, Ciccarone D, Gaines TL, Borquez A, Shover CL, Strathdee SA (2026).
US overdose mortality saw first drop below the Jalal-Burke exponential growth curve in 2024
International Journal of Drug Policy, 153, 105320. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105320.

Cottler LB, Palamar JJ (2026).
Surveillance of emerging drug trends: Utilizing the National Drug Early Warning System
Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 39 (4), 287-293. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000001087. PMCID: PMC13025665.

Palamar JJ, Krotulski AJ, Abukahok N, Acosta P, Walton SE, Stang B, Cleland CM (2026).
Differentiating intentional ketamine use from unintentional exposure as an adulterant using oral fluid testing
Journal of Forensic Sciences [Epub 2026 Jun 19]. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.70391. PMCID: PMC13286244.

Dr. Palamar's MyBibliography Profile
Selected Press