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, 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, A Pilot Life-Course Analytic Framework for Analyzing Comorbidity Clusters among Individuals with HIV and Substance Use. Completed
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, Novel Methods for Estimating the Prevalence of Drug Use among Older Adults. 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.

Jagasia K, Simi TA, Lai A, Tien-Smith AZ, Nguyen AL, Moore AA, Yang KH, Palamar JJ (2026).
Modes of cannabis use and mental health outcomes among older adults in the United States
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society [Epub 2026 Sep 26]. doi: 10.1111/jgs.70748. PMCID: PMC13623057.

Kepner W, Yang KH, Dionicio P, Bailey K, Satybaldiyeva N, Moore A, Han BH, Palamar JJ (2026).
Prevalence and correlates of lifetime ecstasy/MDMA use among Asian American and Pacific Islander adult populations in the United States, 2015-2020
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 58 (4), 470-478. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2025.2474243. PMCID: PMC12353433.

Han BH, Jagasia K, Simi T, Abukahok N, Palamar JJ (2026).
Cannabis use among people aged 65 and older: Results from an intercept survey in New York City
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society [Epub 2026 Sep 9]. doi: 10.1111/jgs.70693. PMCID: PMC13559551.

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, 71 (5), 2322-2333. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.70391. PMCID: PMC13286244.

Dr. Palamar's MyBibliography Profile
Selected Press