Amber Keown-Lang '24 is studying psychology; she's from San Francisco, California, and has hopes of attending medical school after graduation. Prior to attending Brown, Amber competed in horseback riding while also researching at a neuroscience lab at the University of California San Francisco. It was from this prior research that Amber realized she wanted to work directly with people and shifted her focus over towards psychology and more engaged forms of research. At Brown, Amber competes with the varsity equestrian team and is a volunteer for the Samaritans of Rhode Island.

Project:

Naloxone is the most effective life-saving medical treatment available to Rhode Islanders in the case of an opioid overdose event. Nevertheless, understudied barriers prevent at-risk populations from accessing naloxone. Building on previous research conducted by the TAROE Pilot project on the impact of overdose events, as well as my own literature search on naloxone stability, my research aims to identify possible solutions to the problem of accessibility in naloxone distribution. In addition, my research seeks to communicate the results of this research back to the impacted community, such that their voices can form a meaningful part of future discussion and research on psychological and social barriers inhibiting Naloxone accessibility.

Mentor: Brendan Jacka