Mark Edberg

Mark Edberg is an Associate Professor in the Department of Prevention and Community Health and the Deputy Director of the Prevention Research Center at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Anthropology.

A cultural anthropologist with a joint appointment in GWU's Department of Anthropology, Professor Edberg is particularly knowledgeable about how poverty and marginalization intersect with key health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, substance use and youth violence. A researcher and consultant with strong interests in theory and in developing and evaluating prevention programs, Dr. Edberg says, "It has been my goal to contribute whatever I can to bridging the gap between the public health approach to these challenges and the ways in which affected populations understand and frame their relationship to a specific issue." He has done field or project work in urban areas of North America and in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean and retains a strong interest in immigrant and refugee populations, collaborating closely with organizations in the Hispanic/Latino and Southeast Asian communities. Professor Edberg is trained in qualitative research methods, and has experience in program design, implementation and evaluation, community participatory research methods, social marketing, mass media and public information, essential tools to avoid the cultural roadblocks that sometimes impede effective communication. As well, he is a working musician and founder of The Furies, a modern rock band that plays original music in the DC area (www.furiesmusic.com).

• Master of Arts (Political Science/International Relations), UCLA, 1982 • Master of Arts (Applied Anthropology), American University, 1989 • Doctor of Philosophy (Cultural Anthropology), University of Virginia, 2000

• PubH 121 – Principles of Health Education and Health Promotion, Department of Prevention and Community Health • PubH 185 – Impact of Culture upon Health, Department of Prevention and Community Health • PubH 206 – Health Behavior and Health Education, Department of Prevention and Community Health • PubH 364 – Qualitative Methods in Health Promotion, Department of Prevention and Community Health (and Department of Anthropology) • PubH 377 – High Risk and Special Populations, Department of Prevention and Community Health

Dr. Edberg is currently principal investigator on a CDC grant exploring community factors related to violence in the Washington-area Latino community; co-principal investigator on a new CDC grant examining gender violence in the same community, co-principal investigator on an evaluation of a project intended to prevent trafficking/sexual exploitation; and recently a community assessment evaluator on an HIV/AIDS and TB-related effort. Recently, he served as co-PI on a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) grant that examined substance use and HIV/AIDS risk among Southeast Asian populations; he was also involved in a related study focusing on domestic violence in the same communities. Previously, he has been co-PI on other NIDA-funded research assessing HIV/AIDS and substance use among drug users, runaway youth and other high-risk populations. Dr. Edberg also directed an effort to develop an evaluation system for all grant programs funded by the U.S. Office of Minority Health (DHHS), and to implement that system. He is currently completing work with the same agency on development of a strategic framework for elimination of racial/ethnic health disparities. In addition, he is providing evaluation consultation for UNICEF Latin America-Caribbean region.

Professor Edberg has provided training (qualitative research methods, cultural competency) for the DC Health Department, and participates on the DC Health Disparities Committee. Previously, he received a Maryland Governor's Salute to Excellence award for helping to organize music benefits to support local violence prevention programs.