People

Bennett-Allen
Bennett Allen, PhD
NYU Langone Health - Assistant Professor
Email: bennett.allen@nyulangone.org
Education
PhD, Epidemiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
MPA, Public Policy, New York University
BA, Comparative Literature, New York University
Research Interests
Overdose, drug policy, policing, public health ethics, social determinants of health, harm reduction
BIO
Bennett Allen is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where he leads the NYU Systems and Policy Outcomes Lab (SPOTLIGHT). His research evaluates programs and policies in substance use, mental health, and violence prevention using epidemiological and machine learning methods. Additional work in empirical and normative bioethics explores the conceptual foundations and practical consequences of public health policy. As Principal Investigator, his work has been supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, City of New York, Commonwealth Fund, and Greenwall Foundation. Dr. Allen received a PhD in Epidemiology from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and MPA in Public Policy from the NYU Wagner School of Public Service. Prior to joining NYU, he worked in substance use and mental health policy for the New York City government.
Projects
Principal Investigator, Assessing the Impact of Overdose Prevention Centers as a Polysubstance Use and Behavioral Health Intervention in New York City. Active
Principal Investigator, Community-based Evaluation of a Novel, System-wide Harm Reduction Strategic Plan for People Experiencing Homelessness in New York City. Active
Principal Investigator, Supporting Ethical Overdose Prediction for State and Local Public Health Authorities. Active
Principal Investigator, Big Data and the Opioid Overdose Epidemic: Algorithmic Ethics and Public Health Practice. Completed
Principal Investigator, Simulation Modeling to Reduce Drug Overdose Mortality in New York City. Completed
Publications

Recent

Allen B, Basaraba C, Behrends CN, Chambers LC, Marshall BDL, Cerda M (2026).
Neighborhood impacts of overdose prevention centers on real estate prices in New York City
American Journal of Epidemiology [Epub 2026 Mar 18]. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwag061.

Allen B, Urmanche A, Curtis B, Fisher C (2026).
Ethical challenges and opportunities for integrating predictive analytics in community-based overdose prevention
Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 55, 101345. doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2025.101345. PMCID: PMC12800477.

Allen B, Basaraba C, Chambers LC, Behrends CN, Marshall BDL, Cerda M (2026).
Overdose prevention centers and neighborhood commercial activity in New York City
JAMA Network Open, 9 (2), e2559863. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.59863. PMCID: PMC12949448.

Skinner A, Li Y, Hallowell BD, Pratty C, Goedel WC, Allen B, Halifax JC, Macmadu A, Ahern J, Cerda M, Marshall BDL (2026).
Association of non-fatal overdose surveillance data with concurrent and future overdose deaths in Rhode Island
American Journal of Epidemiology [Epub 2026 Jan 29]. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwag018.

Skinner A, Goedel WC, Hallowell BD, Allen B, Krieger M, Pratty C, Ahern J, Cerda M, Marshall BDL (2025).
Trajectories of neighborhood-level overdose risk predictions for prioritization of harm reduction services: Results from the PROVIDENT study
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 277, 112927. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112927. PMCID: PMC12651951.


Notable

Allen B, Harocopos A, Chernick R (2020).
Substance use stigma, primary care, and the New York State prescription drug monitoring program
Behavioral Medicine, 46 (1), 52-62. doi: 10.1080/08964289.2018.1555129.

Dr. Allen's Google Scholar Profile