J. Deanna Wilson, MD, MPH, is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Wilson's research interests include reducing substance use-related health disparities, with an emphasis on opioid use disorders in adolescent and adult populations. Her work includes integrating harm reduction into primary care settings, developing low threshold models of care to improve engagement and retention of vulnerable populations, and improving resilience and coping using mindfulness as a strategy to mitigate chronic pain.
Dr. Wilson is on Twitter: follow her at @DeannaW2014.
Education & Training
- BA, Swarthmore College, 2004
- MD, Yale University School of Medicine, 2010
- Internship and Residency (Internal Medicine and Pediatrics), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2014
- MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2015
- Fellowship (Adolescent Medicine), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2017
Representative Publications
Wilson JD, Shaw KC, Feldman LS. Using post-discharge home visitation to improve cultural sensitivity and patient-centered discharge planning by internal medicine trainees. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 2018;29(4):1288-1299.
Using a quasi-experimental design residents were randomized to control or an educational intervention, after which intervention interns reported significant improvements in patient-centered discharge planning skills and delivery of culturally sensitive care.
Wilson JD, Berk J, Adger H, Feldman L. Identifying missed clinical opportunities in delivery of overdose prevention and naloxone prescription to adolescents using opioids. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2018;63(2):245-248.
Surveying pediatric residents revealed that though they frequently encountered patients using opioids, the majority failed to deliver interventions to reduce overdose and related harm.
Wilson JD, Vo H, Matson P, Adger H, Barnett G, Fishman M. Trait mindfulness and progression to injection use in youth with opioid addiction. Substance Use & Misuse. 2017;52(11):1486-1493.
This cross-sectional study showed a majority of youth presenting with opioid use disorders have impairments in emotion regulation and deficits in trait mindfulness. The relationship between mindfulness and opioid use is impacted by emotion regulation capacity.
Wilson JD, Spicyn N, Matson P, Alvanzo A, Feldman L. Internal medicine resident knowledge, attitudes, and barriers to naloxone prescription in hospital and clinic settings. Substance Abuse. 2016;37(3):480-487.
Survey data revealed that though residents are aware of naloxone and willing to prescribe it to at-risk patients, due to decreased applied knowledge and limited self-efficacy, few residents had prescribed naloxone.
Click here for a more complete bibliography of Dr. Wilson’s works.
Research Interests
- Opioid use disorders
- Harm reduction in primary care
- Mindfulness-based interventions