Friends Community Center

Leadership

Cathy J. Reback Senior Research Scientist Degree: Ph.D., Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz Phone: 323-463-1601 Fax: 323-463-0126 Email:

Research Interests

Dr. Reback is a Research Sociologist; she joined the staff of Friends Research Institute in 1997. Her research focuses on the intersection of HIV risk behaviors, substance use, sexual identity and gender identity. Dr. Reback was one of the first researchers in the country to link the rise in HIV infection among gay and bisexual men to sexual risk behaviors engaged in while using methamphetamine. Dr. Reback has an extensive background in conducting community-research collaborations, evaluating behavioral treatment therapies, designing and implementing street-based intervention programs for out-of-treatment substance users, and managing large-scale HIV prevention and intervention programs. Additionally, Dr. Reback collaborates with local community-based organizations to adopt, tailor, and transfer evidenced-based interventions into public health and community settings.

Dr. Reback has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on ethnographic, intervention and epidemiological studies funded by NIDA, CSAT, CDC, CHRP (formerly UARP), California State Office of AIDS, and the City of Los Angeles. Currently, Dr. Reback is Principal Investigator of a NIDA-funded study evaluating contingency management with non-treatment seeking MSM substance users, “Voucher-based Incentives in a Prevention Setting,” a CHRP-funded study to evaluate the efficacy of contingency management for optimizing Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) among stimulant-using MSM, “Optimizing Access to Non-occupational Post Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Using Contingency Management in Stimulant-Using Men Who Have Sex with Men,” and a CDC-funded project to adapt and transfer the Safety Counts evidence-based intervention for use among high-risk transgender women, “Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Prevention Projects for Community-based Organization.” Dr. Reback recently completed a CDC-funded study assessing the feasibility and efficacy of an information technology (IT) communication intervention that utilized test-messages for reducing methamphetamine use and high-risk sexual behaviors among out-of-treatment MSM. Dr. Reback currently serves as the Director of seven County-funded contracts for high-risk MSM substance users and transgender women and two City-funded contracts. Additionally, Dr. Reback is the Executive Director of Friends Community Center (www.friendcommunitycenter.org), the FRI’s Los Angeles community site. Dr. Reback’s solid commitment to community research has led her to become a sought-after collaborator. She is currently co-investigator on a NIDA-funded study to evaluate the effectiveness of two interventions that offer to homeless, gay and bisexual men who use stimulants the hepatitis A/B vaccine to see how well each intervention encourages completion of the hepatitis A/B vaccination series (P.I.: A. Nyamathi, UCLA).

Dr. Reback’s community and policy work includes current and past membership on numerous local and national HIV/AIDS and substance abuse task forces and advisory committees. In addition to her work with Friends Research Institute, Dr. Reback is an Associate Research Sociologist with UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (UCLA ISAP) and a Core Scientist with the UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (UCLA CHIPTS).

Selected Publications

Bowers, J.R., Branson, C.M., Fletcher, J., & Reback, C.J. (2011). Differences in Substance Use and Sexual Partnering between Men Who Have Sex with Men, Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women, and Transgender Women. Culture, Health and Sexuality. 13(6): 629-42.

Dierst-Davies, R., Reback, C.J., Peck, J.A., Nuno, M., Kamien, J.B., & Amass, L.  (2011). Delay-discounting among Homeless, Out-of-treatment, Substance-dependent Men who Have Sex with Men. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 37(2): 93-7.

Reback, C.J., Peck, J.A., Dierst-Davies, R, Nuno, M., Kamien, J.B., & Amass, A. (2010). Contingency Management among Homeless, Out-of-Treatment Men who Have Sex with Men. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 39(3): 255-63. PMCID:  PMC2937073, NIHMSID: NIHMS218162

Reback, C.J., Ling, D., Shoptaw, S., & Rohde, J. (2010). Developing a text messaging risk reduction intervention for methamphetamine-using MSM. Open AIDS Journal. 4: 116-122.

Reback, C.J. & Larkins, S. (2010). Maintaining a heterosexual identity: Sexual meanings among a sample of heterosexually identified men who have sex with men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(3): 766-773.

Reback, C. J., Shoptaw, S. & Grella, C. E. (2008). Methamphetamine use trends among street-recruited Gay and Bisexual males, from 1999 to 2007. Journal of Urban Health, 85(6), 874-879. Abstract

Reback, C. J. & Larkins, S. (2008) Maintaining a Heterosexual Identity: Sexual Meanings among a Sample of Heterosexually Identified Men who have Sex with Men. Archives of Sexual Behavior. doi:10.1007/s10508-008-9437-7. Abstract

Shoptaw, S., Reback, C., Larkins, S., Wang, J., Rotheram-Fuller, E., Dang, J., & Yang, X. (2008). Outcomes using two tailored behavioral treatments for substance abuse in urban Gay and Bisexual Men. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 35(3), 285-293. Abstract

Shoptaw, S., Rotheram-Fuller, E., Landovitz, R., Wang, J., Moe, A., Reback, C. J., Kanouse, D. (2008). Non-occupational post exposure prophylaxis as a biobehavioral HIV prevention intervention. AIDS Care, 20(3), 376-381. Abstract

Reback, C. J., Kamien, J. B., & Amass, L. (2007).  Characteristics and HIV risk behaviors of homeless, substance-using men who have sex with men.  Addictive Behaviors, 32(3), 647-654. Abstract

Shoptaw, S. & Reback, C. J. (2007).  Methamphetamine Use and Infections Disease-related Behaviors in Men who have Sex with Men:  Implication for Interventions.  Addiction, 102(Suppl. 1), 130-135. Abstract

Reback, C. J. & Larkins, S.  (2006).  Once in a Blue Moon:  Toward a Better Understanding of Heterosexually Identified Men who Have Sex with Men and/or Preoperative Transgender Women.  Report for the City of Los Angeles, AIDS Coordinator. Los Angeles.

Shoptaw, S. & Reback, C. J. (2006).  Associations between Methamphetamine Use and HIV Infection in Men who have Sex with Men: A Model for Guiding Public Policy.  Journal of Urban Health, 83(6), 1151-1157. Abstract

Peck, J. A., Shoptaw, S., Rotheram-Fuller, E., Reback, C. J., & Bierman, B. (2005). HIV-associated medical, behavioral, and psychiatric characteristics of treatment-seeking methamphetamine-dependent men who have sex with men.  Journal of Addictive Diseases, 24, 115-132. Abstract

Reback, C. J., Lombardi, E. Simon, P. A. & Frye, D. M. (2005).  HIV seroprevalence and risk behaviors among transgendered women who exchange sex in comparison with those who do not.  Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 17, 5-22

Larkins, S., Reback, C. J., Shoptaw, S., Veniegas, R. C. (2005).  Methamphetamine-dependent gay men's disclosure of their HIV status to sexual partners, AIDS Care. 17, 521-532. Abstract

Shoptaw, S., Reback, C. J., Peck, J. A., Yang, X., Rotheram-Fuller, E., Larkins, S., Veniegas, R. C., Freese, T. E. & Hucks-Ortiz, C. (2005).  Behavioral treatment approaches for methamphetamine dependence and HIV-related sexual risk behaviors among urban gay and bisexual men, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 78, 125-134. Abstract

Peck, J. A., Reback, C. J., Yang, X., Rotheram-Fuller, E., & Shoptaw, S.  (2005). Sustained reductions in drug use and depression symptoms from treatment for drug abuse in methamphetamine-dependent gay and bisexual men.  Journal of Urban Health. 82: 100-108. Abstract

Reback, C. J. & Simon, P. A. (2004). The Los Angeles Transgender Health Study: Creating a research and community collaboration.  In B. Bowser, S. Mishra, C.J. Reback & G. Lemp (Eds.), Preventing AIDS: Community-Science Collaborations (pp. 115-131). New York: The Haworth Press.

Reback, C. J., Larkins, S. & Shoptaw, S. (2004). Changes in the meaning of sexual risk behaviors among gay and bisexual male methamphetamine abusers before and after drug treatment.  AIDS and Behavior, 8, 87-98. Abstract

Reback, C.J., Larkins, S. & Shoptaw, S. (2003). Methamphetamine abuse as a barrier to HIV medication adherence among gay and bisexual men. AIDS Care, 15, 775-785. Abstract

Shoptaw, S., Peck, J. A., Reback, C. J. & Rotheram-Fuller, E. (2003). Psychiatric and substance dependence comorbidities, sexually transmitted diseases, and risk behaviors among methamphetamine-dependent gay and bisexual men seeking outpatient drug abuse treatment. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Supplement 1, 161-168. Abstract

Freese, T. E., Miotto, K. & Reback, C. J. (2002). The effects and consequences of selected club drugs. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 23, 151-156. Abstract

Reback, C. J., Cohen, A. J., Freese, T. E. & Shoptaw, S. (2002). Making collaboration work: Key components of practice/research partnerships.  Journal of Drug Issues, 32(3), 837-848.

Twitchell, G. R., Huber, A., Reback, C. J. & Shoptaw, S. (2002). Comparison of general and detailed HIV risk assessments among methamphetamine abusers. AIDS and Behavior, 6(2), 153-162. Abstract

Shoptaw, S., Reback, C. J., & Freese, T. E. (2002). Patient characteristics, HIV serostatus, and risk behaviors among gay and bisexual males seeking treatment for methamphetamine abuse and dependence in Los Angeles.  Journal of Addictive Diseases, 21(1), 91-105. Abstract

Reback, C. J., Simon, P. A., Bemis, C. C. & Gatson, B. (2001). The Los Angeles Transgender Health Study: Community Report. Report funded by the Universitywide AIDS Research Program. Los Angeles.

Reback, C. J. & Lombardi, E. L. (2001). HIV risk behaviors of male-to-female transgenders in a community-based harm reduction program. In W. Bocking & S. Kirk (Eds.), Transgender and HIV:  Risks, Prevention, and Care (pp. 59-68). New York: The Haworth Press.

Simon, P. A., Reback, C. J., & Bemis, C. C. (2000). HIV prevalence and incidence among male-to-female transgenders receiving HIV prevention services in Los Angeles County.  AIDS, 18, 2953-2955.

Reback, C. J. & Lombardi, E. L. (1999). HIV risk behaviors of male-to-female transgender participants in a community-based harm reduction program.  International Journal of Transgenderism, http://www.symposion.com/ijt/index.htm

Reback, C. J. & Grella, C. E. (1999).  HIV risk behaviors of gay and bisexual male methamphetamine users contacted through street outreach. Journal of Drug Issues, 29, 155-166.

Reback, C. J. (1997). The Social Construction of a Gay Drug: Methamphetamine Use Among Gay & Bisexual Males in Los Angeles.  Report for the City of Los Angeles, AIDS Coordinator.  Los Angeles. www.uclaisap.org

Shoptaw, S., Reback, C. J., Frosch, D. L. & Rawson, R. A. (1998). Stimulant abuse treatment as HIV prevention. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 17(4), 19-32. Abstract

Reback, C. J. (1995). Constructing the outreach moment: Street interventions to women at risk. In B. Schneider & N. Stoller (Eds.), Women Resisting AIDS: Feminist Strategies of Empowerment (pp. 170-191). Philadelphia: Temple University Press.