David A. Martinez

David A. Martinez serves as a full-time Associate Professor at the University of San Francisco, specializing in community health psychology with a focus on underserved Latino populations. His academic foundation includes doctoral training in Clinical Psychology with Health Psychology emphasis from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

His educational background demonstrates progressive specialization:

• PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City
• MA in Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City
• BA in Psychology, San Diego State University

Dr. Martinez's research centers on developing culturally appropriate HIV prevention interventions within faith communities, particularly Latino churches. He investigates critical intersections of substance use, coping mechanisms, stigma, and medication adherence among HIV-positive individuals, with fluency in Spanish enabling direct community engagement. His work consistently employs community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodologies to ensure cultural relevance.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals expanding interdisciplinary reach while maintaining core public health focus. Early work concentrated on HIV testing barriers in religious settings (2015-2016), evolving toward pandemic response strategies (2020) and technical applications in sensor networks (2022), though community health remains the unifying thread across all publications.

His scientific contributions have been recognized through competitive awards:

• Excellence in Educational Research, Sigma Theta Tau (2016)
• NIMH pre-doctoral fellowship for HIV testing research in Latino churches
• Multiple UMKC Chancellor's and McNair Fellowships (2008-2012)
• 1st Place Winner, Social and Behavioral Sciences Division (2012)

Dr. Martinez maintains active research mentorship, supervising student projects presented at national conferences including Society of Behavioral Medicine meetings. His grant portfolio features significant NIMH funding and collaborative projects like MOTIV8 for ART adherence. Current work leverages mutual aid networks developed during COVID-19 while continuing church-based HIV screening initiatives with African American and Latino congregations.

He co-leads community research teams implementing faith-based health interventions, with recent projects examining telephone aftercare for Hispanic youth and cultural awareness training through gaming platforms for health professionals.