Linda Collins

Linda M. Collins is a Professor of Global Public Health and holds a secondary appointment in Biostatistics at New York University's School of Global Public Health. Previously, she served as Distinguished Professor and Director of The Methodology Center at Penn State University. Her expertise lies in developing the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST), a framework for designing and optimizing behavioral, biobehavioral, and social-structural interventions to enhance effectiveness, efficiency, and scalability.

Educational Background: She earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Connecticut and a Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology from the University of Southern California. Her work has been funded by NIH institutes (NIDA, NIAAA, NSF) and other agencies.

Research Interests: Collins focuses on intervention optimization in areas like smoking cessation, college student health, HIV care, and health equity. She has pioneered the use of factorial experiments and adaptive designs to identify optimal intervention components. Recent work includes applying MOST to address disparities among African American/Black and Latino populations with HIV and improving mental health service access via digital tools.

Recognition: A Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, and Society of Behavioral Medicine, she has also served as past president of key academic societies. Her global presentations on MOST exceed 150, and she has authored influential publications across behavioral science, medicine, and engineering.

Grants & Collaborations: Her research collaborations span institutions worldwide, addressing topics such as HIV service optimization, emergency department smoking interventions, and technology-supported behavioral treatments for cancer survivors. She has led large-scale trials like Fit2Thrive (breast cancer survivor physical activity) and the Healthy Campus Trial (mental health apps).

Labs/Teams: She leads NYU initiatives integrating implementation science with MOST methodologies. Her work bridges academia and practice through partnerships with healthcare systems and community organizations.