Rebecca L. Collins

Rebecca L. Collins is a Senior Behavioral Scientist and Professor at the RAND School of Public Policy, focusing on health risk behaviors, media influences, and mental health stigma. Her work spans adolescent sexual behavior, substance use, and military health policy.

• Education: Ph.D. in Social Psychology from UCLA
• Key Affiliations: RAND Corporation, RAND School of Public Policy

Her research examines media's impact on adolescent sexual behavior, substance use disparities among sexual minorities, and mental health stigma reduction campaigns. She has led evaluations of California's Mental Illness Stigma Reduction initiative and DoD Health Surveys.

Recent publications analyze gentrification's effects on wellbeing, neighborhood investments' health impacts, and military personnel's mental health. Her work employs mixed methods, including longitudinal studies and policy analysis.

Collins' grants include NIH funding for studies on media exposure and adolescent behavior, alcohol advertising effects, and HIV risk reduction. She co-led National Academy of Sciences and APA panels on media's influence on youth health.