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Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Julia Dickson-Gomez, PhD

Julia Dickson-Gomez, PhD

Professor

Locations

  • Division of Epidemiology, Institute for Health & Equity
    Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

Contact Information

Education

PhD, Medical Anthropology; University of California, Los Angeles
MA, Anthropology; University of California, Los Angeles
AB, Anthropology; Bryn Mawr College

Biography

Julia Dickson-Gomez is a medical anthropologist whose research focuses on reducing HIV and overdose risk for people with substance use disorders, and the effects of housing access and stability on health. Current projects include HOusing Instability Neighborhood Deprivation and Maternal HEalth (HOME) study. HOME will conduct longitudinal research with pregnant people recruited during the first trimester and followed through 3 months postpartum. The purpose of this project is 1) to understand factors that contribute to housing (in)stability among low-income pregnant people living in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, and 2) to investigate the effects of different housing statuses and stability on maternal physical and mental health, including biological markers of stress (allostatic load), and on pregnancy outcomes. We will also explore the mitigating effects of housing assistance (subsidized or supportive housing), neighborhood conditions, and psychosocial services provided through housing programs, social service agencies, and churches. She also has several projects focused on opioid overdose in the US including post-overdose interventions and interventions to expand the use of Medications to treat Opioid Use Disorder both among healthcare providers and people with opioid use disorder (OUD). She recently completed a pilot study to integrate buprenorphine to treat OUD in Uganda and another to test the SafeBangle, a wearable technology that women who are experiencing gender-based violence can use to call for help.

Research Interests

Dr. Dickson-Gomez studies HIV prevention among drug users in the United States and El Salvador and is also interested in the influence of structural factors on HIV risk. Her research explores the effects of housing policy on drug users' access to housing, variations in housing status and housing options of drug users, and levels of HIV risk related to these factors. Dr. Dickson-Gomez's work also explores macro- and micro-social contexts of crack use and HIV risk in communities in El Salvador. Her work develops and evaluates the impact of structural and multi-level interventions in the U.S. and Latin America.

Publications

Publications of Julia Dickson-Gomez PhD from the Faculty Collaboration Database

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