Patrick Wilson, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Patrick Wilson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. He is the Director of the SPHERE (Society, Psychology, and Health Research) Lab at Columbia University. Dr. Wilson also directs the Incarceration and Public Health Action Network (IPHAN) at the Mailman School. Dr. Wilson earned his PhD in community psychology from New York University and completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the Yale University School of Medicine. In addition to teaching at the Mailman School of Public Health, Dr. Wilson has conducted research aimed at exploring the psychological, social, and cultural contexts that shape individual and community-level health outcomes. He conducts his work with the overall goal of improving the lives of those who are disproportionally affected by HIV, substance use, poor mental health, and other health disparities. Dr. Wilson’s recent work includes examining institutional and community responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, designing and testing culturally appropriate behavior change interventions for at-risk youth, developing novel technology-based methods for investigating health behaviors, and increasing cultural relevance in health disparities research. Specific topics of interest also include trauma, stigma and discrimination, religion, engagement in care, and personal factors including self-efficacy and empowerment. Dr. Wilson holds membership in several research centers and networks within and outside of Columbia University and conducts national and local studies that involve the participation of a diverse set of collaborators and community members.  His research has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.