Areas of Research: Improving access to care and health outcomes among people who use drugs with or at-risk for HIV; buprenorphine treatment; opioid use and disorder; medical cannabis use; collaborating with community-based organizations; harm reduction
Professional Interests
Dr. Cunningham is the Commissioner of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), in which she leads one of the largest statewide addiction treatment systems in the United States. In this role, she oversees a budget of $1.5B and more than 750 staff, along with funding, certifying, and monitoring more than 1700 prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction programs, which serve over 680,000 people. Previously, Dr. Cunningham served as the Executive Deputy Commissioner of Mental Hygiene at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Dr. Cunningham is trained in internal medicine and addiction medicine and has spent over 20 years providing care, developing programs, and conducting research with people who use drugs. For decades, she has also collaborated with community-based harm reduction organizations. Her research has focused on improving access to care, utilization of health care services, and health outcomes. Dr. Cunningham has authored over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts, has been the principal investigator on numerous federally-funded grants, and has been recognized by local and national awards for her mentorship and scientific contribution to the field of addiction. Dr. Cunningham has also served on and chaired numerous local and national advisory committees, guideline committees, and grant-review study sections. She and her work have also been featured on many major media outlets.
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In the News
The Cannabis Question
In a NOVA documentary, Chinazo Cunningham, M.D., M.S., talks about unresolved questions regarding which patients may benefit from using cannabis and the negative effects of incarcerating people for drug use. Dr. Cunningham is clinical professor of medicine, of family and social medicine, and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Einstein. (Excerpts with Dr. Cunningham at 10:13, 40:37, and 42:58.)
America's Health Future (Interview starts at 29:05)
Chinazo Cunningham, M.D., M.S., discusses racial disparities in healthcare and society at large that have contributed to higher rates of COVID-19 mortality for people of color. Dr. Cunningham is associate chief of the division of general internal medicine at Einstein and Montefiore.
More media coverage