Catina O'Leary, PhD, LMSW

Catina believes in the concept of changing health behaviors to improve quality of life. For more than a decade, she led research at Washington University School of Medicine focused on connecting people at-risk for health conditions, such as HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, with medical and social resources aimed at improving health behaviors, preventing illness, and improving overall health and well-being. Over the course of a decade, Catina led multi-site research trials in the U.S. and internationally. She was actively engaged in every phase of the research process – writing grants to federal agencies and foundations, developing protocols for submission to obtain IRB approval across multiple sites, hiring and training staff for data collection and intervention implementation, and leading data analysis, reporting, and research dissemination.

 

For over a decade, Catina was a member of Washington University’s Human Research Protection Office’s (HRPO) continuing review committee. Currently, she serves as a member of Washington University’s HRPO consent task force, focused on adjustments to the University’s consent process. She is a member of the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard’s Health Literacy Workgroup that is focused on health literate communication of clinical research information. Catina is also a member of many other boards and committees, including the International Health Literacy Association’s Standing Committee on Strategic Planning and Implementation and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Roundtable on Health Literacy.