Ric Curtis

Ric Curtis is a Professor in the Anthropology Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, part of the City University of New York (CUNY). With over twenty-five years of ethnographic expertise, he investigates critical intersections of drug policy, public health, and urban violence in New York City communities.

His academic foundation includes:

• PhD from Teachers College, Columbia University (1996)
• MA from Teachers College, Columbia University (1978)
• BA from the University of Maine (1976)

Dr. Curtis's research portfolio centers on high-impact ethnographic studies of illicit drug markets, HIV transmission networks, and community violence. His work combines rapid assessment methodologies with longitudinal network analysis to address public health crises, particularly among vulnerable populations like injecting drug users and sex workers. Key collaborations span federal agencies including NIDA, NIJ, CDC, and the Surgeon General’s office, translating anthropological insights into evidence-based interventions for harm reduction and criminal justice reform. Current projects examine evolving drug injector behaviors in Long Island, drug-violence dynamics in Rochester, and systemic factors affecting teenage prostitutes in NYC.

He has secured substantial federal grant funding as Principal Investigator for landmark studies such as the five-year NIDA-funded "Heroin in the 21st Century" project and the NIJ-supported "Lower East Side Trafficking" research. His applied work extends to commissioned assessments for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office on homicide patterns and the Surgeon General’s rapid HIV risk evaluation in Newark. Beyond research, Dr. Curtis actively engages with community stakeholders through board memberships at Family Services Network, The After Hours Project, and CitiWide Harm Reduction.

Dr. Curtis frequently leads multidisciplinary research teams, notably directing the Brooklyn precinct shooting assessment that integrated ethnographic fieldwork with law enforcement data to develop targeted violence prevention strategies.