Biography

Dr. Jennifer Attonito is a Research Professor at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and Affiliate Faculty at the Florida Atlantic Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in Public Health from Florida International University after a distinguished career in public health with the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the University of Miami’s Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

From 2014 to 2026, Dr. Attonito served as an Instructor in the Health Administration programs at Florida Atlantic University, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses while mentoring students in public health research. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on substance use, behavioral health, public health policy, and cannabinoid science, including influential policy-focused work published in the American Journal of Public Health and Health Affairs.

From 2017 to 2024, Dr. Attonito served on the Florida State Attorney’s Task Force for Addiction Treatment, where she collaborated with policymakers, legal experts, clinicians, and other stakeholders to advance legislation aimed at improving patient safety and strengthening oversight of the addiction treatment industry. Her work contributed to statewide efforts to enhance accountability, protect vulnerable patients, and improve the quality of addiction treatment services.

Dr. Attonito’s research focuses on the public health impacts of substance use, with particular emphasis on alcohol use, cannabis use, medical marijuana, and simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use. Her work examines both the harms associated with substance use and the potential role of cannabinoids as evidence-based harm reduction strategies for alcohol use disorder, chronic pain, cancer-related symptoms, and other chronic health conditions. Her research has a particular emphasis on women’s health and veteran populations and integrates clinical research, epidemiology, and health policy to inform evidence-based practice and public health decision-making.

Through her collaborative research, Dr. Attonito seeks to advance the science of substance use prevention, harm reduction, and cannabinoid therapeutics while translating research findings into policies and practices that improve health outcomes.