PRIM&R Presenter Brenda Curtis, PhD, MsPH

Bio

Brenda Curtis, PhD, MsPH, is a Tenure Track Investigator at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Intramural Research Program and Chief of the Technology and Translational Research Unit. Dr. Curtis is also Chair of the NIH Stigma Scientific Interest Group and has conducted empirical studies examining the role of stigmatizing language in the treatment of substance use disorders. Brenda works to pair evidenced-based research with novel methods and emerging technologies to address the societal need for empirically validated drug use interventions. Through clinical research, she works to intersect addiction treatment, technology, and long-term recovery. Using natural-language processing, digital phenotyping, and big data methodologies, she focusses on enhancing precision assessment of substance use and behavioral predictors using intensive longitudinal data and integrating passive sensor data from smartphones and wearable devices. Dr. Curtis employs multiple methodologies to facilitate the flow of scientific discovery to practical application allowing her to not only reach under-served populations, but to design health monitoring and behavioral change interventions that are user-centered, inclusive, and evidence-based.

Brenda earned both a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Illinois and subsequently obtained her doctorate in communication from the University of Pennsylvania, where she most recently held the appointment of Assistant Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, Addictions at the Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Curtis also completed a fellowship at the Fordham University HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention Research Ethics Training Institute.

Brenda Curtis, PhD, MsPH

Bio

Committees