People

Benjamin Han
Benjamin H. Han, MD, MPH
University of California San Diego, Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology - Associate Professor
Email: b2han@health.ucsd.edu
Education
MD, State University of New York - Syracuse
MPH, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
BA, English, Wesleyan University
Research Interests
Geriatrics, methadone, health disparities, substance use
BIO
Benjamin Han is an Associate Professor, geriatrician, addiction medicine physician, and clinician-researcher in the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego. He is a primary care physician at the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he leads the syringe service program (SSP-Access to Care Program), which is recognized as an age-friendly health program by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement that integrates harm reduction interventions with chronic disease management and low-barrier substance use disorder treatment for Veterans. He also serves as a supporting editor for the Journal of Addiction Medicine. His research focuses on the intersection of chronic medical disease and substance use, with a career goal to improve the health of older adults with substance use disorders. Prior to joining UCSD in 2020, he was faculty at New York University School of Medicine and a primary care physician at Bellevue Hospital.
Projects
Principal Investigator, Addressing Multimorbidity among Veterans with Stimulant Use Disorders. Active
Principal Investigator, Measuring Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Intersectional Stigma among Older Adults with Opioid Use Disorder. Active
Principal Investigator, Trajectories of Social Isolation and Loneliness among Older Adults Living with HIV Who Use Methamphetamine. Active
Principal Investigator, Chronic Disease and Health Outcomes of Older Adults with Opioid Use. Completed
Principal Investigator, Geriatric Conditions and Functional Status in Middle-Aged and Older Adults with Opioid Dependence. Completed
Publications

Recent

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.

Fahey MC, Vora A, Gutkind S, Solomon HV, Roura MT, Han BH, Mauro PM (2026).
Past-month tobacco and cannabis co-use by chronic disease and sociodemographic factors among U.S. adults 65+ years (2021-2023)
Journal of Applied Gerontology [Epub 2026 Aug 20]. doi: 10.1177/07334648261479376. PMCID: PMC13496008.

Mauro PM, Roura MT, Carey E, Han BH (2026).
Cannabis or drug screening and discussions with clinicians among older adults who use cannabis in the US, 2021-2023
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 71 (2), 108304. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2026.108304.

Kepner W, Han BH, Nguyen AL, Bejarano-Romero R, Satybaldiyeva N, Moore AA, Bazzi AR (2026).
Integrating harm reduction interventions for older adults in opioid treatment programs: A qualitative study of patient and provider perspectives
Harm Reduction Journal, 23 (1), 156. doi: 10.1186/s12954-026-01503-0. PMCID: PMC13632238.

Dr. Han's MyBibliography Profile
Selected Press