Mackey Reuel Friedman, PhD, MPH
Newswise — Mackey Reuel Friedman, PhD, MPH, has joined the Rutgers School of Public Health as an associate professor in the Department of Urban-Global Public Health.
Friedman’s research focuses on promoting the health and wellbeing of people living with, or at high risk for, HIV. Friedman has served as the principal investigator on multiple NIH-funded projects, including research that assesses the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on people living with HIV or at high risk for HIV infection. He has led research on vaccine hesitancy in vulnerable populations and the need to broaden pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) access to local communities, among other projects. He is also the primary investigator of an NIH-funded study assessing intersectional stigma and chronic disease outcomes. He is currently the co-chair of the Psychosocial and Behavioral Working Group for the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study and Women's Interagency HIV Study.
Friedman has served on multiple state- and national-level working groups focused on health disparities in vulnerable populations. He has methodological expertise in longitudinal data analysis and in developing strong community health partnerships.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Friedman to the Department of Urban-Global Public Health,” says Leslie M. Kantor, department chair. “Dr. Friedman’s commitment to community-engaged and impactful research will be a great contribution to Rutgers.”
"I am excited to join the Rutgers School of Public Health,” says Friedman. “I'm very happy for the opportunity to reconnect with former colleagues who are now at Rutgers and to establish new collaborations with students, staff, faculty, and local communities. I am especially interested in the research and practice opportunities offered by the academic health center at Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences and in the vision for health equity that the Rutgers School of Public Health is committed to, including LGBTQ+ health equity research and reproductive justice."
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Friedman to the Rutgers School of Public Health,” says Perry N. Halkitis, dean of the school. “Dr. Friedman is one of our nation’s leading researchers on the syndemics of HIV, mental health, and drug abuse. He has enormous expertise working with aging HIV positive populations and will be an important member of our team as we plan towards the development of a CFAR at Rutgers.”
Friedman will join the Rutgers School of Public Health after more than ten years of community-based public health practice in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Rutgers, he was a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh and a faculty affiliate at the University of Indiana-Bloomington. While at the University of Pittsburgh, he served as vice chair for practice, principal investigator of the HIV Prevention and Care Project, and director of the Center for LGBTQ+ Health Research. A native of Chicago, Friedman received his BA from the University of Minnesota. He received his MPH in infectious diseases and microbiology, certificate in LGBT health and wellness, and PhD in behavioral and community health sciences from the University of Pittsburgh.
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