My research focuses on the intersection of substance use, HIV, and related infections among marginalized populations, including people who inject drugs (PWID), female sex workers (FSW), and men who have sex with men (MSM). Over the past decade, I have developed and tested interventions to improve health outcomes among individuals living with HIV or at heightened risk of acquiring HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and hepatitis C.

My research career began at the University of California, San Francisco, where I contributed to multiple studies examining: integrative interventions to enhance antiretroviral adherence and reduce stimulant use among MSM living with HIV; correlates of syphilis reinfection and incident HIV infection, including racial and ethnic disparities; and biomarkers of alcohol use among young PWID in San Francisco.

Building on this work, I have also investigated global public health challenges related to substance use and HIV in the Mexico–U.S. border region. This research explores syndemic factors influencing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among FSW, MSM, and transgender women; social and structural drivers of elevated HIV incidence among female PWID; environmental correlates of bacterial vaginosis among FSW-PWID; and sex differences in the determinants of injection risk behaviors.

Together, my work seeks to illuminate the behavioral, social, and structural contexts that shape substance use and HIV outcomes across diverse populations, both domestically and internationally.