Vi Le

Vi’s research examines the etiology and prevention of substance use and misuse across the life course, with a particular focus on how community, neighborhood, and broader societal factors shape health behaviors. Specifically, her research centers on three interconnected areas: 1) identifying individual and family-level risk factors for substance misuse, especially cannabis and alcohol, and related risk behaviors; 2) assessing the health impacts of neighborhoods and built environments; and 3) advancing understanding of whether and how interventions, programs, and policies operate in real-world contexts, including the effects of state cannabis legalization.

Education:

• PhD, Epidemiology, University of Washington
• MS, Epidemiology, The Ohio State University
• BS, Biology, The Ohio State University

Professional Interests:

• Etiology of substance use misuse
• Health disparities
• Social determinants of health
• Drug policy evaluations

Key Publications:

• Le, V. T., Bailey, J. A., Epstein, M., Dunbar, M. D., Satchell, A. K., & Pandika, D. M. (2026). Local availability of cannabis retail outlets on parents’ cannabis use, acceptability, and perceived addictiveness: A longitudinal study in Washington State. PloS one, 21(5), e0348182.
• Le, V. T., Bailey, J. A., Heerde, J. A., Merrin, G. J., Batmaz, E. A., Kelly, A. B., & Toumbourou, J. W. (2025). The roles of alcohol availability, overserving, and enforcement in recreational and social settings on alcohol misuse and harms: A comparison of Australia and the United States. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 86(3), 340-348.
• Rhew, I. C., Le, V. T., Ramirez, J. J., Fleming, C. B., Kilmer, J. R., Delawalla, M. L., … & Guttmannova, K. (2023). The association between cannabis use and risk of non-medical pain reliever misuse onset among young adults in a legal cannabis context. Addictive Behaviors, 143, 107711.
• Le, V. T., Rhew, I. C., Kosterman, R., Lovasi, G. S., & Frank, L. D. (2022). Associations of cumulative and point-in-time neighborhood poverty and walkability with body mass from age 30 to 39. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 99(6), 1080-1090.
• Le, V. T., & Dannenberg, A. L. (2020). Moving toward physical activity targets by walking to transit: National Household Transportation Survey, 2001–2017. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 59(3), e115-e123.