Biography

Dr. Michael Copenhaver is a Professor of Health Promotion in the Department of Allied Health Sciences and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. He is also a Principal Investigator at the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP) with an active program of addiction-related research. Since coming to UConn in 2002, Dr. Copenhaver has been continuously funded by NIH grants involving the development and implementation of evidence-based HIV prevention strategies. His work emphasizes tailoring behavioral interventions for optimal use in community-based settings, like drug treatment programs where priority populations can be readily reached. His most recent randomized trial targets opioid-dependent adults using a bio-behavioral approach that integrates pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and an evidence-based behavioral intervention designed to prevent HIV among high-risk opioid-dependent persons in clinical care. He teaches research-focused courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in addition to mentoring honors students and supervising independent studies. Dr. Copenhaver takes an active role in the PhD in Health Promotion Sciences program and also mentors students from other disciplines and programs at the Masters, PhD, and post-doctoral levels.