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Omar Martinez

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Omar Martinez

  • College of Public Health

    • Social Work

      • Associate Professor

Biography

Omar Martinez is an associate professor in the School of Social Work. Martinez leads the Temple University’s Implementation Sciences Laboratory. The lab has developed a national and international reputation for conducting high-impact health disparities research and for providing a unique venue for training the next generation of behavioral researchers. The lab focuses on research to enhance the development, uptake, effectiveness and efficiency of evidence-based interventions and policies within clinical and community settings in order to improve population health and reduce health disparities.

Martinez completed his master’s degree in public health, juris doctorate at Indiana University-Bloomington, as well as a master’s degree in clinical research methods at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Martinez completed an NIH T32 postdoctoral research fellowship in behavioral science research in HIV prevention at the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Martinez has research expertise in the correlates, prevalence, and prevention of substance use, mental illness, and HIV among underserved and vulnerable populations, including sexual and gender minorities. His work has contributed to a better understanding of the impact of syndemic factors, including both individual-level factors (e.g. substance use and mental health problems) and the larger social context (e.g. immigration policies, stigma, discrimination, structural racism, violence, and cultural imperialism) that affects the overall health outcomes among sexual and gender minority immigrants. His experiences also include developing and implementing programs and interventions to address the health disparities affecting Latinxs and underserved populations, including HoMBReS, a best-evidence community-level intervention HIV prevention intervention for self-identified heterosexual Latinxs; Connect n’ Unite, a couple-based behavioral HIV prevention intervention for Black men who have sex with men; and Connecting Latinos en Parejas, a couple-based HIV prevention and treatment intervention for Latino men who have sex with men. He is currently leading an NIH funded study titled Examining the Impact of Medical Legal Partnerships in Improving Outcomes on the HIV Care Continuum. The study consists of formative and developmental work to investigate the impact of Medical Legal Partnerships on health, legal, and psychosocial outcomes among people living with HIV.

Education

  • JD, Health Law, Indiana Unviersity–Bloomington
  • MPH, Health Policy, Indiana University–Bloomington
  • MS, Clinical Research Methods, Columbia University
  • BA, Political Science and Sociology, University of Florida–Gainesville

Curriculum Vitae 

Google Scholar: Omar Martinez's Google Scholar profile

ResearchGate: Omar Martinez's ResearchGate profile

Courses Taught

Number

Name

Level

SSWG 5006

Social Welfare Policies and Services II

Graduate

SSWG 8607

Advanced Policy - Gender and Sexuality

Graduate

Selected Publications

Recent

  • Sutton, M., Martinez, O., Brawner, B., Prado, G., Camacho-Gonzalez, A., Estrada, Y., Payne-Foster, P., Rodriguez-Diaz, C., Hussen, S., Lanier, Y., Berg, J.v.d., Malavé-Rivera, S., Hickson, D., & Fields, E. (2021). Vital Voices: HIV Prevention and Care Interventions Developed for Disproportionately Affected Communities by Historically Underrepresented, Early-Career Scientists. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 8(6), 1456-1466. doi: 10.1007/s40615-020-00908-2.

  • Dsouza, N., McGhee-Hassrick, E., Giordano, K., Friedman, C., Yamasaki, Y., Perez, C., Martinez, O., Carroll-Scott, A., & Martinez-Donate, A. (2021). Analysis of Network Characteristics to Assess Community Capacity of Latino-Serving Organizations in Philadelphia. Journal of Urban Health, 98(5), 654-664. doi: 10.1007/s11524-021-00535-0.

  • Giordano, K., Dsouza, N., McGhee-Hassrick, E., Martinez, O., & Martinez-Donate, A. (2021). Provider Perspectives on Latino Immigrants’ Access to Resources for Syndemic Health Issues. Hispanic Health Care International, 19(3), 163-173. doi: 10.1177/1540415320985590.

  • DelaCruz, J., Brennan-Ing, M., Kakolyris, A., & Martinez, O. (2021). The Cost Effectiveness of Mental Health Treatment in the Lifetime of Older Adults with HIV in New York City: A Markov Approach. PharmacoEconomics - Open, 5(2), 221-236. doi: 10.1007/s41669-020-00238-3.

  • Rodriguez-Diaz, C., Martinez, O., Bland, S., & Crowley, J. (2021). Ending the HIV epidemic in US Latinx sexual and gender minorities. The Lancet, 397(10279), 1043-1045. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32521-6.

  • Martinez, O. (2021). A review of current strategies to improve HIV prevention and treatment in sexual and gender minority Latinx (SGML) communities. Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy, 19(3), 323-329. doi: 10.1080/14787210.2020.1819790.

  • Dawson, L., Benbow, N., Fletcher, F., Kassaye, S., Killelea, A., Latham, S., Lee, L., Leitner, T., Little, S., Mehta, S., Martinez, O., Minalga, B., Poon, A., Rennie, S., Sugarman, J., Sweeney, P., Torian, L., & Wertheim, J. (2020). Addressing ethical challenges in US-based HIV phylogenetic research. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 222(12), 1997-2006. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa107.

  • Bass, S., D'Avanzo, P., Alhajji, M., Ventriglia, N., Trainor, A., Maurer, L., Eisenberg, R., & Martinez, O. (2020). Exploring the Engagement of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in HIV Treatment and Vaccine Clinical Trials: A Scoping Review of Literature and Implications for Future Research. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 34(9), 399-416. doi: 10.1089/apc.2020.0008.

  • Icard, L., Zhang, J., Jemmott, J., Sandfort, T., Rutledge, S., Greunen, D.V., & Martinez, O. (2020). The Effects of Three Types of Sexual Orientation Victimization on HIV Sexual Risk Behavior Among Black South African Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM). Journal of Homosexuality, 67(4), 513-527. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2018.1547561.

  • Arnold, E., Fuller, S., Martinez, O., Lechuga, J., & Steward, W. (2020). Documenting best practices for maintaining access to HIV prevention, care and treatment in an era of shifting immigration policy and discourse. PLoS ONE, 15(2). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229291.

  • Fuller, S., Steward, W., Martinez, O., & Arnold, E. (2020). Medical–Legal Partnerships to Support Continuity of Care for Immigrants Impacted by HIV: Lessons Learned from California. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 22(1), 212-215. doi: 10.1007/s10903-019-00919-0.

  • Yamanis, T., Zea, M., Montiel, A.R., Barker, S., Díaz-Ramirez, M., Page, K., Martinez, O., & Rathod, J. (2019). Immigration Legal Services as a Structural HIV Intervention for Latinx Sexual and Gender Minorities. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 21(6), 1365-1372. doi: 10.1007/s10903-018-0838-y.

  • Muñoz-Laboy, M., Martinez, O., Davison, R., & Fernandez, I. (2019). Examining the impact of medical legal partnerships in improving outcomes on the HIV care continuum: Rationale, design and methods. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1). doi: 10.1186/s12913-019-4632-x.

  • Martinez, O., Lopez, N., Woodard, T., Rodriguez-Madera, S., & Icard, L. (2019). Transhealth Information Project: A Peer-Led HIV Prevention Intervention to Promote HIV Protection for Individuals of Transgender Experience. Health and Social Work, 44(2), 104-112. doi: 10.1093/hsw/hlz008.

  • Morales, A., Garcia-Montaño, E., Barrios-Ortega, C., Niebles-Charris, J., Garcia-Roncallo, P., Abello-Luque, D., Gomez-Lugo, M., Saavedra, D., Vallejo-Medina, P., Espada, J., Lightfoot, M., & Martínez, O. (2019). Adaptation of an effective school-based sexual health promotion program for youth in Colombia. Social Science and Medicine, 222, 207-215. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.01.011.

  • Page, K., Grieb, S., Nieves-Lugo, K., Yamanis, T., Taylor, H., Martinez, O., Yamasaki, Y., Limaye, R., Davis, W., Beyrer, C., & Zea, M. (2018). Enhanced immigration enforcement in the USA and the transnational continuity of HIV care for Latin American immigrants in deportation proceedings. The Lancet HIV, 5(10), e597-e604. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3018(18)30074-2.

  • Muñoz-Laboy, M., Martinez, O., Draine, J., Guilamo-Ramos, V., Severson, N., Levine, E., & Benjamin, G. (2018). The Assets and Challenges of Formerly Incarcerated Latino Men’s Social Support Networks in Promoting Healthy Behaviors. Journal of Urban Health, 95(4), 534-546. doi: 10.1007/s11524-017-0183-9.

  • Levine, E., Herbenick, D., Martinez, O., Fu, T., & Dodge, B. (2018). Open Relationships, Nonconsensual Nonmonogamy, and Monogamy Among U.S. Adults: Findings from the 2012 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 47(5), 1439-1450. doi: 10.1007/s10508-018-1178-7.

  • Mattera, B., Levine, E., Martinez, O., Muñoz-Laboy, M., Hausmann-Stabile, C., Bauermeister, J., Fernandez, M., Operario, D., & Rodriguez-Diaz, C. (2018). Long-term health outcomes of childhood sexual abuse and peer sexual contact among an urban sample of behaviourally bisexual Latino men. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 20(6), 607-624. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2017.1367420.

  • Martinez, O., Fernandez, M.I., Wu, E., Carballo-Diéguez, A., Prado, G., Davey, A., Levine, E., Mattera, B., Lopez, N., Valentin, O., Murray, A., & Sutton, M. (2018). A couple-based HIV prevention intervention for Latino men who have sex with men: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 19(1). doi: 10.1186/s13063-018-2582-y.

  • Levine, E., Martinez, O., Mattera, B., Wu, E., Arreola, S., Rutledge, S., Newman, B., Icard, L., Muñoz-Laboy, M., Hausmann-Stabile, C., Welles, S., Rhodes, S., Dodge, B., Alfonso, S., Fernandez, M., & Carballo-Diéguez, A. (2018). Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Mental Health, Sexual Risk Behaviors, and Drinking Patterns Among Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 27(3), 237-253. doi: 10.1080/10538712.2017.1343885.

  • Muñoz-Laboy, M., Martinez, O., Levine, E., Mattera, B., & Fernandez, M.I. (2018). Syndemic Conditions Reinforcing Disparities in HIV and Other STIs in an Urban Sample of Behaviorally Bisexual Latino Men. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 20(2), 497-501. doi: 10.1007/s10903-017-0568-6.

  • Muñoz-Laboy, M., Martínez, O., Guilamo-Ramos, V., Draine, J., Garg, K., Levine, E., & Ripkin, A. (2017). Influences of Economic, Social and Cultural Marginalization on the Association Between Alcohol Use and Sexual Risk Among Formerly Incarcerated Latino Men. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 19(5), 1073-1087. doi: 10.1007/s10903-017-0554-z.

  • Muñoz-Laboy, M., Severson, N., Levine, E., & Martínez, O. (2017). Latino men who have sex with transgender women: the influence of heteronormativity, homonegativity and transphobia on gender and sexual scripts. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 19(9), 964-978. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2016.1276967.

  • Martinez, O., Lee, J., Bandiera, F., Santamaria, E., Levine, E., & Operario, D. (2017). Sexual and Behavioral Health Disparities Among Sexual Minority Hispanics/Latinos: Findings From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001–2014. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(2), 225-231. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2017.01.037.

  • Icard, L., Jemmott, J., Carty, C., O’Leary, A., Sidloyi, L., Hsu, J., Tyler, J., & Martinez, O. (2017). Retention of South African Adolescents in a 54-Month Longitudinal HIV Risk Reduction Trial. Prevention Science, 18(5), 534-540. doi: 10.1007/s11121-017-0793-1.

  • Martinez, O., Boles, J., Muñoz-Laboy, M., Levine, E., Ayamele, C., Eisenberg, R., Manusov, J., & Draine, J. (2017). Bridging health disparity gaps through the use of medical legal partnerships in patient care: A systematic review. Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, 45(2), 260-273. doi: 10.1177/1073110517720654.

  • Taylor, T., Munoz-Plaza, C., Goparaju, L., Martinez, O., Holman, S., Minkoff, H., Karpiak, S., Gandhi, M., Cohen, M., Golub, E., Levine, A., Adedimeji, A., Gonsalves, R., Bryan, T., Connors, N., Schechter, G., & Wilson, T. (2017). “The Pleasure Is Better as I’ve Gotten Older”: Sexual Health, Sexuality, and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Older Women Living With HIV. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(4), 1137-1150. doi: 10.1007/s10508-016-0751-1.

  • Martinez, O., Muñoz-Laboy, M., Levine, E., Starks, T., Dolezal, C., Dodge, B., Icard, L., Moya, E., Chavez-Baray, S., Rhodes, S., & Fernandez, M. (2017). Relationship Factors Associated with Sexual Risk Behavior and High-Risk Alcohol Consumption Among Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men: Challenges and Opportunities to Intervene on HIV Risk. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(4), 987-999. doi: 10.1007/s10508-016-0835-y.

  • Martinez, O., Wu, E., Frasca, T., Shultz, A., Fernandez, M., Rios, J.L., Ovejero, H., Moya, E., Baray, S.C., Capote, J., Manusov, J., Anyamele, C., Matos, J.L., Page, J., Carballo-Diéguez, A., & Sandfort, T. (2017). Adaptation of a Couple-Based HIV/STI Prevention Intervention for Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men in New York City. American Journal of Men's Health, 11(2), 181-195. doi: 10.1177/1557988315579195.

  • Page, K., Martinez, O., Nieves-Lugo, K., Zea, M., Grieb, S., Yamanis, T., Spear, K., & Davis, W. (2017). Promoting pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent hiv infections among sexual and gender minority hispanics/latinxs. AIDS Education and Prevention, 29(5), 389-400. doi: 10.1521/aeap.2017.29.5.389.