Don Operario
Associate Professor of Medical Sciences:
Bio Med Community Health
Phone: +1 401 863 6657
Don_Operario@brown.edu
I am a social/behavioral scientist studying community-based health interventions and the social epidemiology of HIV/AIDS. My general research interests include social psychological determinants of health inequalities, psychological and health consequences of stigma and discrimination, community collaborative research, and evidence-based public health practice and policy.
Biography
Don Operario is Associate Professor of Medical Sciences in the Department of Community Health. He was trained as a Social and Health Psychologist (BA, UCLA; MS, PhD, UMass Amherst; Postdoctoral Fellow, UC San Francisco). He was previously on the faculty of the University of Oxford (Department of Social Policy and Social Work) and before that was at the University of California San Francisco (Center for AIDS Prevention Studies - Department of Medicine). His research addresses two inter-related areas. The first general area is the social context of HIV transmission and the social sequelae of HIV/AIDS in affected communities, with an emphasis on developing and evaluating theory-based social and behavioral interventions in high-risk groups. A second research area is the lived experiences associated with social inequality, with an emphasis on understanding the perspectives of disadvantaged group members and addressing associated health and psychosocial disparities. He conducts research addressing both U.S. domestic and international public health issues.
Interests
My research bridges behavioral sciences and public health, with a specific focus on social determinants and social sequelae of HIV/AIDS. I work with vulnerable populations for health disparities -including ethnic minorities, sexual minorities, and other disadvantaged groups in the United States and in developing world settings. I am fundamentally interested in conducting work that has direct public health and policy relevance, aimed especially toward improving outcomes in underprivileged communities. My current work is based in urban centers in the United States as well as international settings including China, South Africa, Kenya, and ex-Soviet states in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Current funded research studies include: Integrating HIV/STD treatment and counseling in routine health care in rural China; HIV prevention for African American men in the United States; relationship dynamics contributing to high risk sexual behaviour and substance use for partners in a committed relationship; stigma and vulnerability for people living with HIV in Eastern Europe; social and economic consequences of AIDS, particularly among orphans and families in sub-Saharan Africa; health, resiliency and social support among sex workers; LGBT health and well-being.
Degrees
PhD
Awards
2007, American Psychological Association, Early Career Award, Minority Fellowship Program
2006, University of Oxford Excellence in Teaching Award
2001, UCSF-Robert Harris Award for Research in Health Psychology
1998, American Psychological Association Doctoral Dissertation Research Award
1995-1998, American Psychological Association Minority Predoctoral Fellowship
Affiliations
American Psychological Association, American Public Health Association, Cochrane Collaboration HIV/AIDS Group
Rhode Island HIV Prevention Community Planning Group
Teaching
PHP 2300 Research Methods - Behavioral Science (Fall)
PHP 2330 Social and behavioral approaches to HIV prevention (Spring)
Funded Research
Current Funding:
National Institute on Drug Abuse, "Gender, Relationship Dynamics, and HIV Risk" (PI), 2006-2010
National Institute of Mental Health, "Integrating HIV/STI Prevention and Treatment in China" (co-I), 2006-2010
Leverhulme Trust, "Caring for Children Orphaned by AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa" (PI), 2008-2010
California HIV/AIDS Research Program, "HIV Prevention for African American Men" (PI), 2005-2008
California HIV/AIDS Research Program, "Randomized Control Trial of the Bruthas Program, an HIV prevention intervention for African American men" (co-I), 2008-2011