Dr. Alice Zhang's research centers on innovative, low-barrier public health interventions to address health disparities, the overdose crisis, and substance use disorder (SUD). Her primary work focuses on evaluating "smart" interactive vending machines as a novel implementation strategy to deliver key public health items to underserved communities. These machines dispense overdose prevention supplies, health promotion items, and diagnostic self-tests while connecting individuals to care. This work is among the first to rigorously study vending machines as a public health intervention, with active deployments across central Pennsylvania supported by federal career development awards (KL2 and K23 from NIDA) and over $1.8 million in external funding.

Dr. Zhang's complementary expertise lies in implementation science and community-engaged interventions. Her work in this area focuses on enhancing stakeholder engagement and dissemination strategies to improve the adoption of evidence-based innovations; developing frameworks for effective warm hand-offs to recovery support and SUD treatment; and strengthening institutional and community capacity for community-engaged research. Her prior work on pre-arrest diversion-to-treatment programs further demonstrated how rigorous, community-informed program design can connect individuals with SUD to care while reducing criminal recidivism.

Across these areas, Dr. Zhang aims to translate evidence-base interventions into practical, community-focused solutions to improve health outcomes and advance health equity.

Member, American Society of Addiction Medicine, 2022

Member, North American Primary Research Group, 2022

Member, Pennsylvania Medical Society, 2018

Member, Lancaster City and County Medical Society, 2018

Member, American Academy of Family Physicians, 2014