Ethan Cowan, MD, MS
CDUHR - Associate Director, Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Social-behavioral Theory Core
Rutgers University - Associate Director for Treatment and Recovery at the Rutgers Addiction Research Center
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School - Professor of Emergency Medicine
Rutgers University - Associate Director for Treatment and Recovery at the Rutgers Addiction Research Center
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School - Professor of Emergency Medicine
Email: ethan.cowan@rutgers.edu
Education
MD, New York University School of MedicineMS, Clinical Research Methods, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Research Interests
Public health, program implementation, screening, HCV, HIV, PrEP, PEP, opioid use disorder, research ethics, social justice BIO
Ethan Cowan is the Associate Director for Treatment and Recovery at the Rutgers Addiction Research Center (RARC) and Professor of Emergency Medicine at New Jersey Medical School. He is board certified in Emergency and Addiction Medicine. For the last 20+ years, Dr. Cowan has used his formal training in clinical research methods to coordinate and conduct randomized controlled trials and cohort studies in the Emergency Department (ED). His focus area is the design, implementation and evaluation of public health interventions in the ED. In the area of public health, Dr. Cowan has developed programs for HIV, HCV and STI screening in non-traditional settings. Dr. Cowan’s work in public health has resulted in strong community partnerships with outpatient primary care physicians, specialists in infectious disease and addiction medicine. In his role at the RARC he coordinates clinical trials in addiction across the Rutgers community and creates programs for clinical trials education. Projects
Principal Investigator, PrEP-ED: PrEP Services in the Emergency Department for Hard-to-Reach Populations. Active
Principal Investigator, Safety and Efficacy of High Dose Buprenorphine Induction in Fentanyl Positive Emergency Department Patients. Active
Principal Investigator, Systems-Level Change for Normalizing Routine HIV Testing in High-Volume Health Care Settings (HRT). Active
Principal Investigator, Emergency Department Initiated Oral Naltrexone for Patients with Moderate to Severe Alcohol Use Disorder: A Pilot Feasibility Study. Completed
Principal Investigator, PrEP Provision in the Emergency Department (PrEPPED) Trial. Completed
Publications
Recent
Solnick RE, Gonzalez-Argoti T, Bauman LJ, Rael CT, Mantell JE, Calderon Y, Cowan E, Hoffman S (2025).
Emergency department patients’ perspectives on being offered human immunodeficiency virus pre-exposure prophylaxis services in an urban emergency department
AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 39 (5), 192-202. doi: 10.1089/apc.2025.0009.
Emergency department patients’ perspectives on being offered human immunodeficiency virus pre-exposure prophylaxis services in an urban emergency department
AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 39 (5), 192-202. doi: 10.1089/apc.2025.0009.
Cowan E, O'Brien-Lambert C, Eiting E, Edwards B, Ryder J, Calderon Y, Salsitz E (2025).
Emergency department-initiated oral naltrexone for patients with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder: A pilot feasibility study
Academic Emergency Medicine, 32 (5), 488-497. doi: 10.1111/acem.15059. PMCID: PMC12077059.
Emergency department-initiated oral naltrexone for patients with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder: A pilot feasibility study
Academic Emergency Medicine, 32 (5), 488-497. doi: 10.1111/acem.15059. PMCID: PMC12077059.
Sahan K, Cowan E, Sheehan M (2025).
The role of the enrolling clinician in emergency research conducted under an exception from informed consent
Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 43 (3), 231-246. doi: 10.1007/s11017-025-09710-9. PMCID: PMC12037652.
The role of the enrolling clinician in emergency research conducted under an exception from informed consent
Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 43 (3), 231-246. doi: 10.1007/s11017-025-09710-9. PMCID: PMC12037652.
Mantell JE, Bauman LJ, Bonett S, Buchbinder S, Hoffman S, Storholm ED, McCoy K, Rael CT, Cowan E, Gonzalez-Argoti T, Safa H, Scott H, Murtaugh KL, Wilson NL, Liu A (2025).
Innovation in providing equitable pre-exposure prophylaxis services in the United States: Expanding access in nontraditional settings
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 98 (5S), e156-e169. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000003610.
Innovation in providing equitable pre-exposure prophylaxis services in the United States: Expanding access in nontraditional settings
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 98 (5S), e156-e169. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000003610.
Cowan E, Eiting E, O'Brien-Lambert C, Ryder J, Calderon Y (2025).
A randomized controlled trial of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis provision in the emergency department (PrEPPED)
Journal of Emergency Medicine [Epub 2025 Mar 19]. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.03.001.
A randomized controlled trial of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis provision in the emergency department (PrEPPED)
Journal of Emergency Medicine [Epub 2025 Mar 19]. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2025.03.001.
Notable
Is preexposure prophylaxis ready for prime time use in HIV prevention research?
AIDS, 28 (3), 293-295. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000000055.
Cowan E, Leider J, Velastegui L, Wexler J, Velloza J, Calderon Y (2013).
A qualitative assessment of emergency department patients’ knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and acceptance toward revised HIV testing strategies
Academic Emergency Medicine, 20 (3), 287-294. doi: 10.1111/acem.12090.
Dr. Cowan's MyBibliography Profile