Ashish Thakrar, MD, MS is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. He is an internist and an addiction medicine specialist. Dr. Thakrar’s research focuses on expanding and adapting evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders in the era of fentanyl, xylazine, and other synthetic drugs. He works clinically as a hospital-based addiction consult physician and as an outpatient primary care and addiction treatment physician. Dr. Thakrar earned his MD and MS in Health Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and he is a graduate of the Osler Medicine Residency (Urban Health Primary Care Track) at Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Addiction Medicine Fellowship at Johns Hopkins Bayview.
Areas of Expertise | Clinical Trials, Clinical Epidemiology, Opioid Use Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder, Pharmacology
Clinical Areas | Addiction Medicine, General Internal Medicine
Selected Publications:
Yu-Chia H, Thakrar AP, Leonard CE, Lowenstein M, Brensinger CM, Bilker WB, Bogar KF, Hennessy S. Trends in Methadone Use for Pain and Opioid Use Disorder Among Medicaid Enrollees. JAMA Health Forum. 2025;6;(11);e255023.
Thakrar AP, Zwiebel SJ, Christine P, Spadaro A, Davis MH, Bhatia R, Rohas N, Xu L, Perrone J, Lowenstein M. Manifestations of Potential Xylazine Withdrawal: A Retrospective Cohort Study with Nested Case Series. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2025:112681.
Thakrar AP, Christine PJ, Siaw-Asamoah A, Spadaro A, Faude S, Snider CK, Delgado MK, Lowenstein M, Kampman K, Perrone J, Nelson LS, Kilaru AS. Buprenorphine-Precipitated Withdrawal Among Hospitalized Patients Using Fentanyl. JAMA Network Open. 2024;7(9):e2435895
Lutz L, McFadden R, Xu L, Bhatia R, Davis MH, Rohacs N, Wei J, Perrone J, Lowenstein M, Thakrar AP. Wound Characteristics Among Patients Exposed to Xylazine. JAMA Dermatology. November 13, 2024.
Englander H, Thakrar AP, Bagley SM, Rolley T, Dong K, Hyshka E. Caring for Hospitalized Adults with Opioid Use Disorder in the Era of Fentanyl: A Review. JAMA Internal Medicine. April 9, 2024.
Thakrar AP, Lowenstein M, Greysen SR, Delgado MK. Trends in Before Medically Advised Discharges for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder, 2016-2020. JAMA. Published online December 4, 2023.
Thakrar AP, Alexander GC, Saloner B. Buprenorphine Use in Jails and Prisons in the US, 2015 to 2021. JAMA Network Open. 2021;4(12);e2138807.
Visit Dr. Thakrar's Google Scholar page to view more publications