Christina M. Aivadyan

Christina is a predoctoral research fellow at the Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW). Her research explores social determinants of substance use and sexual risk behavior among U.S. adolescents and young adults, and the ways in which laws and policies may serve as structural drivers of HIV transmission. Christina is a former fellow in the T32 Training Program in HIV and Substance Use in the Criminal Justice System. In September 2021, she received Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31) from the National Institute of Mental Health to examine the influence of state-level laws related to confidentiality in sexual health services on U.S. adolescents’ HIV testing practices. Prior to joining CSSW in 2018, Christina was a Project Director at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and has over 10 years of clinical and epidemiological research experience focused on HIV, substance use, and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Christina holds a MS in Social Work from CSSW, a BA in Psychology from New York University, and is a Licensed Master Social Worker in the state of New York.