Perry N. Halkitis (born February 24, 1963) is an American of Greek ancestry public health

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

and applied statistician known for his research on the health of LGBT populations with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS, substance use and mental health. Perry is Dean and Professor of Biostatistics, Health Education and Behavioral Science at the

Rutgers School of Public Health The Rutgers School of Public Health (SPH) is part of Rutgers Health. Prior to July 1, 2013, it was affiliated with the now-defunct University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ ...

. Between 1998 and 2017, Perry was a faculty member at New York University, serving in a variety of capacities, the last of which was Senior Association Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs at the College of Global Public Health and Professor of Global Public Health, Applied Psychology and Medicine. He is also the founder and director of the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies (CHIBPS) at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

. The bio-behavioral funded research site founded by him also serves as a training site for public health, psychology, medical and student scholars working in the arena of LGBT

health disparities Health equity arises from access to the social determinants of health, specifically from wealth, power and prestige. Individuals who have consistently been deprived of these three determinants are significantly disadvantaged from health inequit ...

informed by a theory of syndemics.

Biography

Halkitis received his B.A. in

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

and

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

from Columbia College, his masters in

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

Human Development Human development may refer to: * Development of the human body ** This includes physical developments such as growth, and also development of the brain * Developmental psychology * Development theory * Human development (economics) * Human Develo ...

and

Learning Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, value (personal and cultural), values, Attitude (psychology), attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, non-human animals, and ...

from City University of New York (CUNY):

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

, a Masters of Philosophy in Educational Psychology from CUNY:

Graduate Center The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public university, public research institution and post-graduate university, postgraduate university in New York City. Formed in 1961 as Divi ...

, and a Ph.D. in Quantitative Methods in Educational and Psychological Research from CUNY: Graduate Center. Before moving to Rutgers, Halkitis was previously Associate Dean for Research & Doctoral Studies, Professor of

Applied Psychology Applied psychology is the use of psychological methods and findings of scientific psychology to solve practical problems of human and animal behavior and experience. Educational and organizational psychology, business management, law, health, pro ...

and

Public Health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

, and Director of the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies (CHIBPS) at the

Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development The New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (commonly referred to as NYU Steinhardt) is the education school of New York University. The school was founded as the School of Pedagogy in 1890. Prior to ...

, a division of

. Halkitis has been actively involved in governance with the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 170,000 members, including scientists, educators, clin ...

Committee on Psychology and AIDS, (COPA) 2010-2012 and the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns, Halkitis is also a research affiliate of the

Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, often abbreviated as ADARC, is a United States medical research institution dedicated to finding a cure for HIV/AIDS. It is headed by scientist Dr. David Ho, who was the 1996 Time magazine Person of the Year, and ...

New York University School of Medicine The New York University Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, the other being the NYU G ...

.
and co-director of the New York University's Clinical and Translational Science Institute TL1 Predoctoral Program. Prior to his current positions, Halkitis was Director of Research at

Gay Men's Health Crisis The GMHC (formerly Gay Men's Health Crisis) is a New York City–based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization whose mission statement is to "end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected." Foun ...

. He is internationally recognized for his work examining the intersection between the

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

drug abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...

, and mental health syndemics, and is well known as one of the nation's leading experts on

addictions Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

, especially

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...

. In addition, Halkitis has undertaken extensive work in psychometrics. He serves on the Committee on Psychology and AIDS, (COPA) 2010-2012 and the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns, Halkitis is also a research affiliate of the

. and co-director of the New York University's Clinical and Translational Science Institute TL1 Predoctoral Program. Prior to his current positions, Halkitis was Director of Research at

Degrees held

*B.A. Columbia College 1984, Biology & Psychology *M.S. Hunter College, City University of New York 1988, Education/Human Development & Learning *M.Phil. Graduate Center, City University of New York 1993, Educational Psychology *Ph.D. Graduate Center, City University of New York 1995, Psychology: Quantitative Methods in Psychology & Education *MPH

CUNY School of Public Health The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) is a public college, public American research and professional college within the City University of New York (CUNY) system. The graduate school is located at 55 West 125th Str ...

2013,

Epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...

Research

Halkitis’ research examines how risk-taking is influenced by interpersonal, contextual and cultural factors, especially with regard to the

AIDS pandemic The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...

and

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and this research has been funded by various private and public entities including the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...

New York City Department of Health The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (also known as NYC Health) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for public health along with issuing birth certificates, dog licenses, and conducting restaur ...

, New York State AIDS Institute,

The New York Community Trust The New York Community Trust (The Trust) is a community foundation that serves New York City's five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester County. The Trust administers more than 2,200 charitable funds. Established in 1924, The Trust is one of the ...

United Way of America United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual United Ways mobilize a sin ...

, and

American Psychological Foundation The American Psychological Foundation (abbreviated APF) is an American philanthropic organization dedicating to awarding research grants to psychologists in the early stages of their careers. It is affiliated with the American Psychological Assoc ...

. The focus of his research involves

health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...

human behavior Human behavior is the potential and expressed capacity (Energy (psychological), mentally, Physical activity, physically, and Social action, socially) of human individuals or groups to respond to internal and external Stimulation, stimuli throu ...

, and development, with a specific application to the domains of

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

and

, which has addressed some of most important social and public health issues of our time.

Publications

Books

*Halkitis, P.N. (2013). The AIDS Generation: Stories and Survival of Resilience.
The AIDS Generation: Stories and Survival of Resilience
*Halkitis, P. N. (2009)
Methamphetamine addiction: Biological foundations, psychological factors, and social consequences
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. *Halkitis, P. N. Wilton, L., & Drescher, J. (Eds.). (2006)
Barebacking: Psychosocial and public health approaches. Binghamton
New York: Haworth Press. *Halkitis, P. N., Gomez, C., & Wolitski, R. (Eds.) (2005)
HIV + sex: The psychological and interpersonal dynamics of HIV-seropositive gay and bisexual men's relationships
Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

Awards

Halkitis is the recipient of numerous awards from both professional and community-based organizations, and was elected a fellow of the

New York Academy of Medicine The New York Academy of Medicine (the Academy) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health r ...

in 2005. *1999: American Psychological Foundation (APF), Wayne F. Placek Award *2000:

, Steinhardt School, Daniel E. Griffiths Research Award *2002:

, Committee on Psychology & AIDS, Leadership Award *2003:

, Division on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns, Distinguished Research Award *2004:

, Office of LGBT Student Services, Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Queer Community *2004:

, Steinhardt School, Teaching Excellence Award *2005: TheBody.com, HIV Prevention Leader AwardTheBody.com: HIV Leadership Awards: Perry Halkitis
(accessed 17 February 2013) *2005:

, Elected Fellow *2006:

, Committee on Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Concerns, Outstanding Achievement Award *2007: Society of Behavioral Medicine, Elected Fellow *2009: American Psychological Association, Division of Addictions, Elected Fellow *2009: New York University Distinguished Teaching Award Nominee *2010: New York University Distinguished Teaching Award Nominee *2010: New York University, Office of LGBT Student Services Award for Student Centered Dedication and Advocacy *2010: Society of Behavioral Medicine, Research to Practice Dissemination Award *2010: American Psychological Association, Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology In Public Interest (Early Career)

References

External links

Center for Health, Identity, Behavior, and Prevention Studies
homepage {{DEFAULTSORT:Halkitis, Perry N. 1963 births Living people 20th-century American psychologists 21st-century American psychologists The Bronx High School of Science alumni Hunter College alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni CUNY Graduate Center alumni Writers from New York City