Epidemiology of Drug Dependence explains patterns, determinants, and consequences of substance use across populations—and how surveillance informs policy and services. This page translates methods into decisions: interpreting prevalence, incidence, and cohort data; reading wastewater and syndromic signals; and separating trend noise from meaningful shifts. If you’re evaluating a substance use epidemiology conference, you’ll find guides for equity-focused indicators, small-area estimation, and early-warning systems for synthetic trends. We connect findings to program levers—harm-reduction coverage, MOUD reach, and overdose prevention—so data moves budgets and practice.

Measurement without action is busywork. We outline dashboards that disaggregate by age, gender, neighborhood, and race/ethnicity; show how to compute treatment gap and retention; and describe community engagement that validates signals. Ethics and privacy matter—especially in rural settings and justice contexts. For implementation and real-world translation, see Drug Dependence Research, which complements this page with study design and scaling strategies.