Paul J Poppen

In the past decade, much of my research has focused on gender, culture, and health, especially relevant to HIV/AIDS. I have been especially interested in how individuals perceive the risk of their own behavior, and whether that perception of risk influences change in behavior or the adoption of safer behaviors. I am currently on the Executive Committee of the DC Developmental Center for AIDS Research (DC D-CFAR), and am Director of the Behavioral Science, Public Health, and Biostatistics Core,  2010-2015. A current research project is a five year  NICHD funded study on “HIV Prevalence, Sexual Behavior, and Attitudes toward Circumcision among Colombian MSM” (M.C.Zea, PI). A previous project was "Contextual Factors on Sexual Risk among Latino MSM (M.C. Zea, PI): this project used a social psychological approach in which the immediate context (e.g., the surroundings, the setting, the type of sexual partner, substance use) was examined for its influence on sexual behaviors, with a sample of 600 Brazilian, Colombia, and Dominican MSM in New York City A recently completed project was a four year NIMH funded study on "Disclosure of HIV Status among Latino Gay Men" (M.C. Zea, PI), which tested a model of both antecedents of disclosure as well as consequences. Ongoing research focuses on college students and their perceptions of the STD/HIV risk associated with sexual behavior.