Core Staff

The Sociobehavioral and Prevention Research Core of the Center for AIDS Research is composed of an interdisciplinary group of biomedical, social, and behavioral scientists, focused on supporting HIV Prevention Research, Community Outreach, and Modeling behavioral aspects of HIV transmission dynamics and partnership networks.

Martina Morris, PhD
Director
Professor of Sociology and Statistics
As the Director of the SPRC, Martina Morris establishes the scientific direction of the core in concert with Dr. Wood, facilitates the efforts of the steering committee, oversees cross-core coordination, participates in the outreach efforts to core research affiliates and the Community Action Board, and guides the core's mathematical modeling efforts. She also co-directs the sociobehavioral track of the CFAR STD/AIDS Research Training Fellowship Program.

Robert W. Wood, MD
Associate Director
HIV/AIDS Program, PHSKC
Public Health--Seattle & King County
As Co-Director of the SPRC, Robert Wood provides guidance and advice on Core directions and activities. He is the Director of the HIV/AIDS Program at Public Health-Seattle & King County and is also an Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington.

Lisa Manhart, MPH, PhD
Core Faculty
Assistant Professor, Epidemiology
Lisa Manhart oversees core administration and serves as the focal point for technical assistance as it relates to epidemiologic methods and the use of biomarkers for socio-behavioral and prevention research studies. She also serves as the SPRC liaison with the cross-CFAR Social & Behavioral Sciences Research Network (SBSRN). She also acts as a liaison to the Core Steering Committee and serves as co-Director for the Principles of STD and HIV Research Course.

Jane Simoni, PhD
Core Faculty
Jane Simoni oversees the core's efforts to increase services and provide support for interdisciplinary research involving psychology and other behavioral sciences. She also provides technical assistance and support in qualitative research methods and coordinates outreach to researchers on HIV prevention efforts among substance abusers.

Michele Andrasik, PhD
Core Faculty
Michele Andrasik's primary focus is on implementing the first Community Action Board (CAB) project on "Reducing HIV Disparities: Sexual Concurrency Communication for HIV Prevention among African-American and African-Born Populations", which was funded by an NIH R21 Grant for Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR). She is also Co-Chair of the Seattle Black Leadership Council on HIV/AIDS (BLC).

Susan Cassels, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology
Susan Cassels provides technical assistance for modeling and is available to collaborate and consult with UW CFAR affiliates on projects involving mathematical modeling of behavioral processes and population-level transmission dynamics.

Kate Murray, MPH
Core Manager
CFAR Sociobehavioral and Prevention Research Core
Kate Murray coordinates requests for technical assistance, manages content for the SPRC website, provides support to SPRC affiliates, and manages the CFAS/CFAR Community Action Board.