Angela Aidala

Angela A. Aidala, Ph.D., is a Research Scientist at the Mailman School of Public Health in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology. Her major interest is research, teaching, and service delivery strategies to work effectively with harder to reach or ‘hidden’ populations in urban settings crucial to understanding health disparities. This includes disadvantaged and socially marginalized youth and adults challenged by unstable housing/ homelessness, mental illness, substance use, and/or criminal justice involvement. She is committed to applied research -- working with community members, policy makers, service providers, and advocates to translate research to inform policy and program decision making. She is Principal Investigator of the Community Health Advisory & Information Network (CHAIN) Project, an ongoing cohort study of persons living with HIV/AIDS or at risk of infection in New York City and the northern suburbs. Now in its 27th year, CHAIN is conducted in collaboration with the HIV Planning Council and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and is a major source of service planning data for the region. Dr. Aidala currently leads a long term follow-up of a demonstration project that brought together multiple governmental agencies (Corrections, Homeless Services, Health) and community providers for a housing-based intervention for adults with complex needs and multiple jail and public shelter experiences. Documented success of the original project has inspired multiple jurisdictions throughout the US to launch similar efforts. Now, 10 years later, the FUSE LongTerm Project presents a unique opportunity to examine the role of stable housing as a critical component of successful community reentry, not simply in the short term but considering impacts over the life course.