The Glenn College is excited to welcome Tasha Perdue to its faculty as an assistant professor. She joins the college from the University of Southern California, where she earned her PhD from the Suzanne-Dworak Peck School of Social Work as well as a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy from USC’s Price School of Public Policy.
Perdue’s research contextualizes drug use and elucidates ways that inequities in criminal justice responses to drug crises perpetuate trajectories of risk and drug use, demonstrating the essential relationship of public health and criminal justice policy. She was one of six students honored with the 2021 USC PhD Achievement Award for her federally funded research on the illicit drug market in Dayton, Ohio.
At Ohio State, Perdue will continue her research on the Glenn faculty and as an affiliated faculty member with the Moritz College of Law’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center.
Perdue’s academic work is informed by her professional experiences in the field. She has worked as a case manager in a community mental health center and a regional epidemiologist for the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. She also volunteered with and researched in a harm reduction center in Skid Row, Los Angeles. Due to her work with community groups in Toledo and the University of Toledo on human trafficking, she received a Special Recognition from the Ohio House of Representatives, 45th District, and the Lucas County Commissioners.
“As a macro-level social worker, I am committed to striving for social change through research and policy practice,” Perdue said. “The Glenn College was an excellent fit for my interdisciplinary training in criminal justice, public policy and social work. The diversity of approaches among faculty in applying research to solve social problems was very appealing to me, and I am very excited for the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary research projects. My current research is focused on the opioid crisis, and as an Ohio native I am eager to contribute to drug policy reform and improve conditions for people who use drugs. My affiliation with the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center will provide opportunities for me to support drug policy and criminal justice reform efforts on the local and state level.”