Cathy J. Reback, PhD, is a Senior Research Scientist with Friends Research Institute and the Director of the Combination Prevention Core for the UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services. Additionally, Dr. Reback is the Founder and Executive Director of Friends Community Center the community-based site for Friends Research Institute, which provides publically funded, culturally responsive, substance use and HIV prevention services for sexual and gender minority individuals. The focus of Dr. Reback’s research is an examination of the intersection of substance use disorders and HIV risk behaviors among sexual and gender minority individuals in community settings. Dr. Reback has an extensive background in conducting community-research collaborations, managing large-scale HIV prevention and intervention programs, designing and implementing technology-based and mHealth interventions, designing and implementing venue- and street-based intervention programs, evaluating behavioral and biomedical treatment therapies for populations with substance use and mental health disorders, and conducting mixed methods research studies. Additionally, she has collaborated with several local community-based organizations to adopt, tailor, and transfer evidenced-based interventions into public health and community settings. Dr. Reback’s community and policy work includes current and past membership on numerous local and national HIV/AIDS and substance use task forces and advisory committees.

Contact: reback@friendsresearch.org

FEATURED PUBLICATIONS:

1. Swendeman, D., Rotheram-Borus, M. J., Arnold, E. M., Fernández, M. I., Comulada, W. S., Ishimoto, K., Gertsch, W., Murphy, D. A., Ocasio, M., Lee, S. J., Lewis, K. A., & Adolescent HIV Medicine Trials Network (ATN) CARES Team (2024). Strategies to Facilitate Service Utilization Among Youth at Risk for HIV: A Randomized Controlled Trial (ATN 149). AIDS and behavior, 10.1007/s10461-024-04545-2. Advance online publication.

2. Reback, C. J., Cain, D., Rusow, J. A., Benkeser, D., Schader, L., Gwiazdowski, B. A., Skeen, S. J., Hannah, M., Belzer, M., Castillo, M., Mayer, K. H., Paul, M. E., Hill-Rorie, J., Johnson, N. D., McAvoy-Banerjea, J., Sanchez, T., Hightow-Weidman, L. B., Sullivan, P. S., & Horvath, K. J. (2024). Technology-Based Interventions, with a Stepped Care Approach, for Reducing Sexual Risk Behaviors and Increasing PrEP Initiation Among Transgender and Gender Expansive Youth and Young Adults. AIDS and behavior, 28(12), 3956–3969.

3. Reback, C. J., Landovitz, R. J., Benkeser, D., Jalali, A., Shoptaw, S., Li, M. J., Mata, R. P., Ryan, D., Jeng, P. J., & Murphy, S. M. (2024). Protocol for a randomized controlled trial with a stepped care approach, utilizing PrEP navigation with and without contingency management, for transgender women and sexual minority men with a substance use disorder: Assistance Services Knowledge-PrEP (A.S.K.-PrEP). Addiction science & clinical practice, 19(1), 79.

Last updated: 1/17/2024