MacArthur Fellows include overdose‑researcher Nabarun Dasgupta for harm‑reduction work

📌 Key Facts

Nabarun Dasgupta, a researcher at UNC‑Chapel Hill, was named a 2025 MacArthur Fellow and will receive an $800,000 MacArthur "genius" award.
The fellowship recognizes his harm‑reduction work and role as a scientist on the front lines of the U.S. overdose crisis.
Dasgupta identified and publicized a surprising, state‑by‑state decline in U.S. overdose deaths that has been evident since 2021.
He co‑founded Remedy Alliance / For The People to distribute naloxone at scale.
He helped build a national street‑drug sampling network that serves as an early‑warning system for toxic adulterants.
His data‑driven research (tracking overdose trends) combined with community interventions (naloxone distribution and drug‑sampling networks) underlie the work cited in his MacArthur Fellowship.

Social media users emphasize that while naloxone is crucial for reversing overdoses, it's not a complete solution and must be paired with prevention, treatment, and mental health support to address the root causes of addiction.
Critics on X argue that harm reduction strategies, like distributing paraphernalia and safe supply programs, may inadvertently facilitate ongoing drug use and call for compulsory treatment for addicts posing public risks.
Posts highlight evidence showing significant reductions in overdose deaths near supervised consumption sites, suggesting these facilities provide measurable public health benefits often overlooked in broader discussions.
Users discuss the long-term brain damage from repeated opioid overdoses, stressing the need to prevent multiple reversals with naloxone to support better recovery outcomes.
Conversations on X point to adapting harm reduction to emerging drug trends, such as new adulterants like medetomidine, and the importance of integrating addiction care into primary health systems for comprehensive responses.

Based on 2 sources

NPR by Elizabeth Blair October 08, 2025

NPR by Brian Mann October 08, 2025

New information:

Nabarun Dasgupta (UNC‑Chapel Hill) is a 2025 MacArthur Fellow receiving an $800,000 'genius' award.
Dasgupta identified a surprising decline in U.S. overdose deaths in state‑by‑state data (declines evident since 2021) and has publicized that trend.
He co‑founded Remedy Alliance / For The People to distribute naloxone at scale and helped build a national street‑drug sampling network that serves as an early‑warning system for toxic adulterants.