Omar Martinez

Omar Martinez, JD, MPH is a postdoctoral research fellow at the HIV Center for Clinical and  Behavioral Studies at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He completed his master’s degree in public health policy at Indiana University–Bloomington and his law degree at Indiana University Maurer School of Law. Originally from Havana, Cuba, he became involved in HIV and sexual health research focusing on underrepresented  minorities as an undergraduate at the University of Florida. Mr. Martinez has contributed to the development and implementation of federally funded studies of HIV among high-risk populations at the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University–Bloomington, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Public Health Solutions, HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and the Social Intervention Group at Columbia University School of Social Work. Mr. Martinez has also been highly active in community-based participatory research initiatives aimed at improving health among recently-arrived immigrants and other disenfranchised communities. He is currently the principal investigator of a federally funded project to adapt “Connect ‘n Unite” (CNU), an existing, evidence-based HIV/STI intervention for Black men who have sex with men (MSM) and their same-sex partners for a new target population of Spanish-speaking Latino MSM and their same-sex partners.

Current Projects

  • Behavioral Sciences Research in HIV Infection
  • Connect n’ Unite: Couples-Based HIV/STI Prevention for Drug-Involved, Black MSM (CNU).
  • Couple-Based HIV Intervention for Men who Have Sex with Men (MSM): Adaptation for Latino
  • Programa de Investigación en Migración y Salud (PIMSA)

Recent Publications

Martinez, O., Dodge, B., Reece, M., Schnarrs, P. W., Rhodes, S., Goncalves, G., Muñoz-Laboy, M., Malebranche, D., Van Der Pol, B., Kelle, G., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2011). Sexual Health and Life Experiences: Voices from Behaviorally Bisexual Latino Men in the Midwestern USA. Culture, Health, and Sexuality, 13(9), 1073-1089.

Martinez, O., Dodge, B., Goncalves, G., Schnarrs, P. W., Munoz-Laboy, M., Reece, M., Malebranche, D., Van Der Pol, B., Kelle, G., Nix, R., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2012). Sexual Behaviors and Experiences Among Behaviorally Bisexual Latino Men in the Midwestern United States: Implications for Sexual Health Interventions. Journal of Bisexuality, 12(2), 283-310.

Rhodes, D.S., Martinez, O., Song, E.Y., Daniel, J., Alonzo, J., Eng E., Duck, S., Downs, M., Bloom, F.R., Boeving, A.A., Miller, C., Reboussin, B. (2013). Depressive Symptoms Among Immigrant Latino Sexual Minorities. American Journal of Health Behavior, 37(3), 404-413

Martinez, O. (2013). Immigration Policy and Access to Health Services. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 28, 28.  PMID: 23813348

Martinez, O., & Kelle, G. Sex Trafficking of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Individuals: A Call for Service Provision, Research and Action. (2013). American Bar Association International Law Journal, 42 (4), 21-25.

Moya, E., Chávez-Baray, S., Martinez, O. (2013). Voces e Imágenes de las Migrantes Sobrevivientes de Violencia Doméstica. Todo Social, 2 (2), 24-27.

Martinez O, Wu E, Sandfort, T., Dodge, B., Carballo-Dieguez, A., Pinto, R., Rhodes, SD., Moya, E., & Chavez-Baray S. (2013).  Evaluating the Impact of Immigration Policies on Health Status Among Undocumented Immigrants: A Systematic Review. Journal Of Immigrant And Minority Health / Center For Minority Public Health, PMID: 24375382

Martinez, O., Roth, A., Kelle, G., Downs, M., Rhodes, D.S., Downs. (2014). Adaptation and Implementation of HoMBReS: A Community-Level, Evidence-Based HIV Behavioral Intervention for Heterosexual Latino Men in the Midwestern United States.AIDS Education and Prevention, 26(1), 68-80. doi:10.1521/aeap.2014.26.1.68.

Martinez, O., Wu, E., Sandfort, T., Shultz, S., Chavez-Baray, S., Moya, E., Dodge, B., Morales, G., Porras, A., & Ovejero, H.A Couple-based Approach: An Innovative Effort to Tackle HIV Infection among Latino Gay Men. (In press). Ehquidad.

Martinez, O., Wu, E., Shultz, Z., Capote, J., López Rios, J., Sandfort, T., Manusov J, Ovejero, H., Carballo-Dieguez, A., Chavez Baray, S., Moya,E., López Matos, J., DelaCruz, J.J., Remien, R.H., & Rhodes, S.D. Still a Hard-to-Reach Population? Using Social Media to Recruit Latino Gay Couples for an HIV Intervention Adaptation Study. (2014). Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(4), e113.  doi:10.2196/jmir.3311

Martinez, O., Caraballo-Dieguez, A., Mobolaji, I., Balán, I., Brown, W., & Frasca, T. (2014). Anticipated and Actual Experiences to Finding out HIV Positive Results through Self-Testing among Gay and Bisexual Men. AIDS and Behavior; DOI 10.1007/s10461-014-0790-3

Moya, E., Chavez-Baray, S., & Martinez, O. Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Health: Voices and Images of Latina Immigrant Survivors in the Southwest United States. (2014). Health Promotion Practice; doi: 10.1177/1524839914532651

Pinto, R.M., Gimenez, S., Spector, A., Choi, J., Martinez, O., Wall, M. (2014). HIV practitioners in Madrid and New York improving inclusion of underrepresented populations in research. Health Promotion International; doi: 10.1093/heapro/dau015R

Rhodes, S.D., Alonzo, J., Mann, L., Downs, M., Andrade, M., Wilks, C., Siman, F., Martinez, O., Abraham, C., Villatoro, G., Bachmann, L.H. The ecology of sexual health of sexual minorities in Guatemala City. (2014). Health Promotion International; doi:10.1093/heapro/dau013

Martinez, O., Wu, E., Chavez-Baray, S., Moya, E., Dodge, B., Shultz, S., Lopez, J. (In press). Overcoming Issues and Challenges in Serving the Sexual Health Needs of Latino Immigrants in the United States.The Health Education Monograph.