I am a registered nurse and a PhD candidate studying Health Policy at the University of Georgia. My research interests are centered on health policy and health services. My work primarily focuses on policies affecting patients with substance use disorder and the intersection of the healthcare workforce and patient outcomes. I am the inaugural Nurse Leadership Legacy Fellow in the Department of Public Administration & Policy at the School of Public & International Affairs. 

I am on the job market this academic year. 

Research 

Bethel, V.. The Impact of Legalizing Fentanyl Test Strips on Opioid Overdose Mortality. (Under review)

Bethel, V., Shelby, S.R., Bradford, W.D., & Abraham, A.J.. The Effects of Cannabis Laws on Cannabis Related Disorders and Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome in the Medicare Population. (Under review)

Abraham, A.J., Bethel, V., & Steuart, S.R.. Changes in Rates of Substance Use Disorder in Medicaid Insured Births, 2017 to 2021. (Under review)

Abraham, A.J., Bethel, V., Lozano-Rojas, F., & Bradford, W.D.. The Impact of Recreational Cannabis Laws on Cannabis-Related Disorders in the US Medicare Population.  American Journal of Public Health. 2026

Abraham, A.J., Steuart, S.R., Harris, S.J.,  Bethel, V.. Increased Opioid Exposure in Older Adults following COVID-19. Health Science Reports. 2025

Lozano-Rojas, F., Bethel, V., Gupta, S., Steuart, S.R., Bradford, W.D., & Abraham, A.J. The Impact of Cannabis Laws on Opioid Prescribing among Commercially Insured Populations with Cancer. JAMA Health Forum. 2025. 

Steuart, S.R., Bradford, W.D., Bethel, V.. Associations between Cannabis Legalization and Pediatric Cannabis Exposure. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2025.

Steuart, S.R., Abraham, A.J., Bethel, V.. Teen opioid exposures reported to NPDS during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2025

Steuart, S.R., Lozano-Rojas, F., Bethel, V., Shone, H. B., Abraham, A.J.. Recreational cannabis laws and fills of pain prescriptions in the privately insured. Cannabis. 2024

Working Papers

Bethel, V.. The Effects of a State-Level Policy Requiring Hospitals to Provide Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder. -Dissertation

Bethel, V.. The Impact of Patient and Provider Racial Concordance on Hospital Discharges Against Medical Advice Among Patients with Opioid Use Disorder -Dissertation

Bethel, V.. The Effect of Mandated Hospital Provision of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder on Discharges Against Medical Advice In the Medicare Population -Dissertation

Bethel, V., Steuart, S.R., & Abraham, A.J.. State Variation in Substance Use Disorder among Medicaid-Insured Birthing Parents.