COARD Welcomes Catalina Lopez-Quintero

Catalina Lopez-QuinteroCatalina Lopez-Quintero is a Colombia-born physician-epidemiologist with medical public health research training and experience in drug use, mental health and HIV/AIDS epidemiology, including several epidemiological studies in Colombia, Israel and the United States. She completed her medical degree in Colombia, her master and Ph.D. studies in public health at the Hebrew University in Israel, and postgraduate and research training in psychiatric epidemiology at the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), drug dependence epidemiology at Michigan State University (MSU), HIV/AIDS and substance use disparities and neuropsychology at the Center for Research on U.S. Latino HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse (CRUSADA), and the Substance Use and HIV Neuropsychology (SUHN) lab at Florida international University (FIU). Her research has focused on investigating the impact that factors at different levels of influence exert on the transitions from the early stages of drug use involvement to drug dependence. Her current projects aim to elucidate potential mechanisms that explain drug use and HIV/AIDS disparities by examining the intersection between neurocognitive processes and sociocultural factors. Other areas of research interest include mental health and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) & health.

Over the last 13 years Dr. Lopez-Quintero has taught courses in in research methods, basic and advanced epidemiological methods for data analysis, and Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC). She has mentored undergraduate and graduate students, and medical professionals.