Andrea Norcini Pala

Dr. Andrea Norcini Pala serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the School of Public Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. His research focuses on biopsychosocial factors in HIV progression, intersectional stigma, and health outcomes among vulnerable populations including women living with HIV and African American men who have sex with men.

Education

• Master's in Clinical, Social, and Experimental Developmental Psychology, University of Parma, Italy
• PhD in Clinical Health Psychology, University of Milano, Italy

His methodological expertise spans advanced psychometrics including Multidimensional Latent Class/Transition Item Response Theory, Network Analysis, Monte Carlo simulations, and Bayesian methods applied to pilot RCTs. Current work integrates qualitative research to design technology-based interventions addressing intersectional stigma and improving HIV antiretroviral therapy adherence, with recent expansion into AI applications across clinical, research, and teaching domains. His Columbia University postdoctoral fellowship at the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies established foundational work on stigma-health outcome relationships in high-risk populations.

Dr. Norcini Pala maintains active research collaborations developed during his Columbia University appointments, where he refined mixed-methods approaches for studying health disparities. His intervention design work specifically targets structural barriers in HIV care for marginalized communities through culturally responsive digital solutions.