About

Peter Davidson is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego. His research activities focus on substance use, overdose prevention, and harm reduction strategies. He has been involved in evaluating naloxone-on-release from incarceration as a community overdose prevention measure and investigating underground safe injection facilities in the United States. His work includes exploring the impacts of law enforcement interventions on drug user health, assessing overdose prevention site effectiveness, and studying drug checking and treatment access among people who use drugs. Davidson's contributions aim to inform public health policies and improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations affected by substance use disorders.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Medicine
• Immunology
• Environmental health
• Biology
• Anthropology
• Cancer research
• Internal medicine
• Virology
• Gender studies
• Pathology
• Demography
• Genetics
• Bioinformatics

Selected publications

• The Intratumor Bacterial and Fungal Microbiome Is Characterized by HPV, Smoking, and Alcohol Consumption in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

  International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2022 · 20 citations

  • Biology
  • Cancer research
  • Medicine

  Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tumor phenotypes and clinical outcomes are significantly influenced by etiological agents, such as HPV infection, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Accordingly, the intratumor microbiome has been increasingly implicated in cancer progression and metastasis. However, few studies characterize the intratumor microbial landscape of HNSCC with respect to these etiological agents. In this study, we aimed to investigate the bacterial and fungal landscape of HNSCC in association with HPV infection, smoking, and alcohol consumption. RNA-sequencing data were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) regarding 449 tissue samples and 44 normal samples. Pathoscope 2.0 was used to extract the microbial reads. Microbe abundance was compared to clinical variables, oncogenic signatures, and immune-associated pathways. Our results demonstrated that a similar number of dysregulated microbes was overabundant in smokers and nonsmokers, while heavy drinkers were characterized by an underabundance of dysregulated microbes. Conversely, the majority of dysregulated microbes were overabundant in HPV+ tumor samples when compared to HPV- tumor samples. Moreover, we observed that many dysregulated microbes were associated with oncogenic and metastatic pathways, suggesting their roles in influencing carcinogenesis. These microbes provide insights regarding potential mechanisms for tumor pathogenesis and progression with respect to the three etiological agents.

  DOI

• Disparities in COVID-19 Outcomes by Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status

  JAMA Network Open · 2021 · 758 citations

  • Sociology
  • Medicine
  • Demography

  Importance: COVID-19 has disproportionately affected racial and ethnic minority groups, and race and ethnicity have been associated with disease severity. However, the association of socioeconomic determinants with racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes remains unclear. Objective: To evaluate the association of race and ethnicity with COVID-19 outcomes and to examine the association between race, ethnicity, COVID-19 outcomes, and socioeconomic determinants. Data Sources: A systematic search of PubMed, medRxiv, bioRxiv, Embase, and the World Health Organization COVID-19 databases was performed for studies published from January 1, 2020, to January 6, 2021. Study Selection: Studies that reported data on associations between race and ethnicity and COVID-19 positivity, disease severity, and socioeconomic status were included and screened by 2 independent reviewers. Studies that did not have a satisfactory quality score were excluded. Overall, less than 1% (0.47%) of initially identified studies met selection criteria. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Associations were assessed using adjusted and unadjusted risk ratios (RRs) and odds ratios (ORs), combined prevalence, and metaregression. Data were pooled using a random-effects model. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main measures were RRs, ORs, and combined prevalence values. Results: A total of 4 318 929 patients from 68 studies were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, 370 933 patients (8.6%) were African American, 9082 (0.2%) were American Indian or Alaska Native, 101 793 (2.4%) were Asian American, 851 392 identified as Hispanic/Latino (19.7%), 7417 (0.2%) were Pacific Islander, 1 037 996 (24.0%) were White, and 269 040 (6.2%) identified as multiracial and another race or ethnicity. In age- and sex-adjusted analyses, African American individuals (RR, 3.54; 95% CI, 1.38-9.07; P = .008) and Hispanic individuals (RR, 4.68; 95% CI, 1.28-17.20; P = .02) were the most likely to test positive for COVID-19. Asian American individuals had the highest risk of intensive care unit admission (RR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.60-2.34, P < .001). The area deprivation index was positively correlated with mortality rates in Asian American and Hispanic individuals (P < .001). Decreased access to clinical care was positively correlated with COVID-19 positivity in Hispanic individuals (P < .001) and African American individuals (P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, members of racial and ethnic minority groups had higher risks of COVID-19 positivity and disease severity. Furthermore, socioeconomic determinants were strongly associated with COVID-19 outcomes in racial and ethnic minority populations.

  DOI

Frequent coauthors

• Wei Tse Li

  University of California, San Francisco

  38 shared

• Weg M. Ongkeko

  University of California, San Diego

  32 shared

• Jaideep Chakladar

  VA San Diego Healthcare System

  23 shared

• Shruti Magesh

  VA San Diego Healthcare System

  16 shared

• Matthew Uzelac

  University of California, San Diego

  16 shared

• Rishabh Yalamarty

  University of California, San Diego

  13 shared

• Tianyi Chen

  Fudan University

  9 shared

• Kevin T. Brumund

  University of California, San Diego

  8 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Sociology

  University of California, San Francisco

  2009

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