Dr. Barbara “Basia” Andraka-Christou is an associate professor in the School of Global Health Management and Informatics with a joint secondary appointment in the College of Medicine at UCF. Her research focuses on health services and health policies for expanding evidence-based treatment of substance use disorder. She also leads the Substance Use Policy & Evaluation (SUPER) research team.
Dr. Andraka-Christou’s work has been published in elite substance use and health policy journals, including Health Affairs, the International Journal of Drug Policy, the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, the Journal of Addiction Medicine, JAMA Network Open, and Substance Abuse. She has appeared on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition. She is the author of the book The Opioid Fix: America’s Addiction Crisis and the Solution They Don’t Want You to Have (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020). She is a licensed attorney in Florida.
Credentials
- Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy, Law & Social Science, Indiana University – Bloomington
- JD, Juris Doctorate, ndiana University – Bloomington
- BA, Bachelor of Arts, Economics, University of Florida
Areas of Specialty
- Health services
- Health policy
- Substance use disorder treatment
- Excellence in Research Award, University of Central Florida (1 per university), 2025
- Excellence in Research Award, College of Community Innovation and Education (1 per college), 2025
- Luminary Award from the University of Central Florida (one of approximately 6 awarded annually from across the university for research productivity), 2023
- Research Incentive Award (RIA) from the University of Central Florida (one of 55 faculty awarded annually from across the university for research productivity), 2023
- Won Gold in the health category from Forward Indies for her solo-authored book, The Opioid Fix: America’s Addiction Crisis & the Solution they Don’t Want You to Have, forewordreviews.com
- Won a Bronze Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) from Independent Publisher Magazine in the health, medicine, & nutrition category from for her solo-authored book, The Opioid Fix: America’s Addiction Crisis & the Solution they Don’t Want You to Have, independentpublisher.com
- Recent work was the subject of a published commentary in the flagship journal of Society of Addiction Medicine (Journal of Addiction Medicine): “The paper by Andraka-Christou and colleagues takes a giant step toward understanding differences, themes, and gaps in state policies.” (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Co-authored work cited by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Statement of Drug Policy Priorities for Year One. Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy: Washington, D.C.; 2021. Available at whitehouse.gov.
- Selected for the NIH HEAL – JCOIN LEAP Investigator Program for 2021-2023
- Early Career Investigator scholarship awarded to the 14th Academic and Health Policy Conference on Correctional Health. April 2021 (competitive scholarship) accjh.org
- Associate Editor of Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment (previously called The Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment)
- Field editor of Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
- Elected member, Public Policy Committee, national American Society of Addiction Medicine
UCF Associate Professor’s Research to Explore Impact of Laws Shaping the Future of Opioid Addiction Treatment
Barbara “Basia” Andraka-Christou and her team will study a decade’s worth of state laws, insurance claims data and more to understand how state law requirements for emergency departments affect overdose...
New UCF Study Examines Insurance Barriers to Access Opioid Addiction Medication
While insurance coverage of some forms of buprenorphine has improved over the years, researchers say coverage of new, more effective forms of the medication is lacking.
To Stop Deadly Overdoses, ‘The Opioid Fix’ Urges Better Use Of Tools We Already Have
More Americans than ever — almost 72,000 — died from a drug overdose last year, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection.
Stigma of Opioid Addiction Medications Prevents Treatment
Basia Andraka-Christou, assistant professor of health management and informatics, is looking at the barriers preventing medication treatment for individuals with opioid addiction. (Photo by Amy Floyd) One in three Americans...
UCF Awarded Grant From Health Foundation
Barbara Andraka-Christou, assistant professor of health management and informatics, is principal investigator for the Strategies for Person-Centered Care in Behavioral Health Treatment Programs project. The Health Foundation of South Florida...
