Hortensia Amaro - Faculty Profile

Education:
Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles

Specializations:
Public Health, Social and Developmental Psychology

Major Research Areas:
Dr. Amaro's research focuses on public health epidemiology, prevention and intervention in the areas of substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, mental illness and inter-personal violence. Over the last 25 years, Dr. Amaro’s work has focused on improving the connections between public health research and public health practice. Her research has resulted in over 100 scientific publications on epidemiological and community-based studies of alcohol and drug use among adolescents and adults; the development and testing of behavioral interventions for HIV/AIDS prevention; substance abuse and mental health treatment for Latina and African American women and incarcerated men; and alcohol and drug use among college populations. She has been the principal investigator of 32 public health research grants. Dr. Amaro teaches an upper level undergraduate and graduate course on Race, Ethnicity and Health in the U.S. and is the Director of the Institute on Urban Health Research at Northeastern University. She has served on the editorial board of prominent scientific journals and on review and advisory committees to the National Institutes of Health including: the National Institute on Drug Abuse; the National Institute on Mental Health; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and the Institute of Medicine.

Dr. Amaro has a history of active engagement as founder of numerous professional and community based organizations including the National Hispanic Psychological Association, National Hispanic Science Network on Drug Abuse Research, Latino Health Institute and the Multicultural AIDS Coalition in Boston. She is also the founder of two substance abuse treatment programs for women in Boston: The MOM’s Project and the Entre Familia Residential Treatment Program. As Principal Investigator of the Boston site for the SAMHSA funded Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study, she co-founded the National Trauma Consortium.

Dr. Amaro’s professional contributions have been recognized by numerous organizations including the American Psychological Association, the Association of Women in Psychology, the Massachusetts Public Health Association, Addiction Medicine Education, Research and Services Association, Hispanic Mental Health Professional Association, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Hispanic Science Network on Drug Abuse Research, Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, and numerous community health centers in Boston. She also served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor in Women's Health at Ben Gurion University in Israel. Appointed by Mayor Thomas Menino, Dr. Amaro has served on the Board of the Boston Public Health Commission, the governing body of the city health department, since its inception. .