Professor Frye brings to SIG extensive research experience in the areas of health equity, HIV, intimate partner violence, and structural interventions.
On July 1st, 2023, Dr. Victoria Frye will join the Columbia University School of Social Work (CSSW) as a Professor and Co-Director of the Social Intervention Group (SIG). Professor Frye is a social and behavioral scientist cross-trained in the social sciences and public health theory and methods. After earning a BA in US History, an MPH in Epidemiology, and a DrPH in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia, Dr. Frye conducted research with the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at the New York Academy of Medicine, the CUNY School of Public Health, NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and the NY Blood Center’s Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute.
In 2011, Dr. Frye returned to Columbia as an assistant professor of sociomedical sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health, and in 2015 she began a role at the CUNY School of Medicine, where she became a full professor with tenure in 2020.
At SIG, Dr. Frye will continue her work on characterizing how social stratification generates health disparities and testing multilevel, social-behavioral interventions to reduce inequities in the areas of HIV and intimate partner and sexual violence. The goals of her scholarship are to develop the research base on social drivers of health inequities, design and test effective prevention interventions to eliminate health disparities, partner with community organizations and representatives to ground her scholarship in equity, and mentor and train the next generation of intervention and prevention scientists and practitioners. Her current NIH-funded work is testing social-behavioral interventions to increase uptake of HIV screening and prevention methods, including HIV self-testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis, by addressing intersectional stigma with individuals and communities most vulnerable to HIV, including women who exchange sex for needed resources and gay, bisexual and same gender-loving men of color. Her research is currently conducted in the United States, Central Asia, and other countries.
"I’m thrilled to be joining the Columbia University School of Social Work (CSSW) to co-lead the Social Intervention Group (SIG), which has been conducting high-impact intervention and implementation science for over two decades. The team-based research program my colleagues and I developed over 20 years centers self-determined and community-connected sexual health maintenance, like trials of programs to conduct HIV self-testing with a friend and quasi-experimental evaluations of community-level, anti-intersectional stigma programs," said Dr. Frye. "SIG, led by University Professor Nabila El-Basel and Professors Louisa Gilbert and Elwin Wu, is an optimal setting for our research and way of working. CSSW is an intellectually engaging, social justice-focused space that promotes social health and well-being at all levels. Columbia has profoundly shaped me as a scientist, educator, student, and human being, and I’m looking forward to rejoining the institution."
In addition to her impressive track record of publications and funding, including current funding from NIMH and NIDA, Dr. Frye will bring to SIG her leadership experience, her commitment to social justice, and her passion for building equitable partnerships with communities and mentoring the next, more diverse generation of scholars.
"I am eager to welcome Professor Frye to Columbia University School of Social Work and as a Co-Director of SIG. She brings strong leadership experience, outstanding scholarly expertise, and an impressive record of productivity in funded NIH studies and publications. Speaking for myself and our management team, we are lucky to have Dr. Frye join us in leading SIG forward. Dr. Frye is poised to contribute significantly to our continued success and growth with her extensive research background in HIV, intimate partner violence, structural interventions, and research that emphasizes health equity and reducing social and health disparities. Her dedication to achieving excellence is aligned perfectly with SIG’s organizational values and mission," Professor El-Bassel said.
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Frye to SIG, and look forward to all her contributions.