Departmental Affiliations
Primary
Research Interests
overdose; substance use; mental health; trauma; sex work; implementation; social determinants of health; policy evaluation; program evaluation; qualitative; quantitative
Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
PhD
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
2021
MHS
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
2016
BA
The George Washington University
2011
Overview
Catherine's expertise is in the design and implementation of epidemiological studies among marginalized populations with a focus on qualitative and quantitative methods. Her research aims to identify the social and structural causes and consequences of disparities in substance use harms (including overdose), mental health, and access to healthcare in marginalized populations such as people who use drugs and/or sell sex. Catherine's recent research includes: examining overlapping structural vulnerabilities among women sex workers in Baltimore and their effects on long-term mental distress; evaluating implementation of state-funded programming aimed at reducing fatal overdoses in Maryland; evaluating the racial equity and public health impacts of drug decriminalization policy in Baltimore; implementing COVID-19 testing for women who use drugs in partnership with a community-based organization in Baltimore. She is experienced in latent variable analysis, structural modeling, and psychometrics, particularly in research with mental health constructs, internalized stigma, and substance use.
Honors & Awards
Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award, National Institute of Mental Health
Select Publications
Most recent publications
- Tomko C, Olfson M, & Mojtabai R (2022). Gaps and barriers in drug and alcohol treatment following implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Accepted to Drug and Dependence Reports.
- Tomko C, Musci R, Kaufman M, Underwood C, Decker MR, & Sherman SG (2022). HIV and mental distress risk differs by co-occurring structural vulnerabilities among cisgender female sex workers in the United States. AIDS Care, 1-10
- Tomko C, Nestadt DF, Weicker N, Rudzinski K, Kaufman M, Underwood C & Sherman SG (2022). Characterizing external resilience and the limitations of internal resilience in a sample of structurally vulnerable women who use drugs in Baltimore, MD. Harm Reduction Journal, 19(1), 1-11
- Tomko C, Schneider KE, Rouhani S, Urquhart GJ, Park JN, Morris MB, & Sherman SG. (2022). Identifying pathways to recent non-fatal overdose among people who use opioids non-medically: how do psychological pain and unmet mental health need contribute to overdose risk? Addictive Behaviors, 127, 107215.
- Tomko C, Glick JL, Park JN, Galai N & Sherman SG (2021). Characterizing healthcare access among female sex workers with substance use histories in Baltimore, Maryland. Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved, 32(3), 1584–1603