Luz McNaughton Reyes

H. Luz McNaughton Reyes, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a member of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases. Her research focuses on violence etiology and prevention, substance use, and sexual risk behaviors across the lifespan, with an emphasis on adolescent populations and global health equity. She teaches advanced research methods courses for doctoral students and has conducted extensive work in Central America on reproductive health interventions.

Education: PhD in Health Behavior from UNC Chapel Hill (2009), MPH in Community Health Sciences from Tulane University (2000), BA in Biology and Spanish from Franklin & Marshall College (1998).

Research Interests: Dr. Reyes' work examines developmental pathways to adolescent dating violence and evaluates interventions to prevent health risks during early life. Key areas include the role of contextual factors (e.g., family, neighborhood) in shaping violence and substance use behaviors. Her global health projects address HIV prevention and gender-based violence in settings like Vietnam and Guatemala.

Article Trends: Her recent work emphasizes intervention sustainment in HIV care systems, digital health approaches for violence prevention, and the intersection of food security policies with violence outcomes. Methodologically, she combines quantitative analyses with qualitative assessments of program adaptation and implementation challenges.

Advising & Grants: While specific grant details aren't listed, her research reflects sustained engagement with global health challenges and community-based interventions. She collaborates with international organizations on projects involving vulnerable populations such as female sex workers and men who inject drugs.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with UNC's Gillings Innovation Labs, focusing on translational research to bridge public health theory and practice. Active in multi-institutional partnerships for violence prevention initiatives.