Paul A. D’Avanzo, PhD (he/him/his)
Biography
Paul A. D’Avanzo, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy at the Rutgers School of Public Health. He received his Ph.D. in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences from Temple University’s College of Public Health.
Prior to joining Rutgers, Dr. D’Avanzo was a NIMH T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Previously to that, he was a project director for the P18 Cohort Study, a longitudinal investigation that examined the syndemic impact of HIV, other STIs, substance use, and mental health conditions among sexual minority men living in New York and New Jersey.
Research Interests
Dr. D’Avanzo’s research focuses on HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention, with an emphasis on enhancing communication between patients and providers and improving adherence to HIV/STI prevention strategies and clinical guidelines.
His recent work includes research on doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (Doxy PEP), an emerging intervention aimed at reducing bacterial STIs among cisgender men and transgender women. Dr. D’Avanzo was awarded a research fellowship from the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association to investigate both patient and provider factors crucial to the equitable and safe implementation of Doxy PEP.