Tyrel Starks

Tyrel Starks is a Clinical Professor in Psychology at Hunter College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY). He specializes in clinical and health psychology, focusing on behavioral interventions to reduce drug use and improve sexual health outcomes, particularly among sexual minority populations at high risk of HIV infection. He holds a PhD from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (2009) and a BA from the University of South Dakota (2003).

His research emphasizes substance use and sexual health in sexual minority men, including relationship factors influencing HIV-related behaviors. He has authored over 50 publications, including groundbreaking work on actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) and covariate hurdle modeling. Dr. Starks is a licensed psychologist in New York and a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT).

He has led numerous National Institute of Health-funded projects, including R01 and R34 grants totaling millions of dollars. Current studies include couples-based interventions to reduce HIV risk and drug use in South African couples and male couples in the US. Completed projects include evaluating HIV prevention strategies and substance use interventions among young men of color.

Dr. Starks teaches courses in Human Sexuality, Statistics, and Research Methods at Hunter College. His work bridges clinical practice and public health, emphasizing culturally competent interventions and relationship-focused care. He has pioneered frameworks for applying Motivational Interviewing in couple therapy, addressing discordant motivations for change in relationships.