Mark Edberg, Ph.D.

Mark Edberg, Ph.D., M.A. Associate Professor, Department of Prevention and Community health, with secondary appointments in the Department of Anthropology and Elliott School of International Affairs.

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 2112 – Principles of Health Education and Health Promotion, Department of Prevention and Community Health
• PubH 2113 – Impact of Culture upon Health, Department of Prevention and Community Health
• PubH 6530 – Qualitative Methods in Health Promotion, Department of Prevention and Community Health (and Department of Anthropology)
• PubH 6515 – 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.

• 2011-2013: Principal Investigator (under contract to Development Services Group, Inc.), Development of a Protective Factors Theoretical Model and Research Agenda for the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (DHHS).
• 2008-2011: Co-Principal Investigator (McDonnell, PI), Etiological Research on Gender Violence in the Latino Community. Collaboration with the Latino Federation of Greater Washington. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• 2005-2010: Principal Investigator, SAFER Latinos, a violence prevention intervention targeting community-level (and transnational) factors related to Latino immigrant youth violence .Collaboration with the Latino Federation of Greater Washington and Latin American Youth Center. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• 2008-2010: Co-Principal Investigator, National Expert Panel Review of Macroeconomic Factors and Youth Violence (to identify specific connections, propose research and intervention agenda). Funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Under contract agreement to Development Services Group, Inc.
• 2005-2009: Co-Principal Investigator, Evaluation Study of the SAGE Early Intervention Prostitution and Sexual Exploitation Prevention Program, for the National Institute of Justice. (Under contract to Development Services Group, Inc.)
• 2005-2006: Subcontract Principal Investigator, Community Assessment of Youth At-Risk for HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), Hepatitis, and Substance Abuse. Qualitative and quantitative study under subcontract to the Latin American Youth Center (Washington, DC), funded by SAMHSA/CSAP.

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. Recent Public Health Practice and Consultancies:

• 2011 – current: Director, UNICEF-Belize/George Washington University Centre of Knowledge.
• 2010 -- current: Lead Consultant, UNICEF Situation Analysis of Children and Families, for UNICEF Belize/Central America. Developed ecological, theoretical model around which the situation analysis was prepared, collected information/data from multiple agencies and NGOs (in Belize), managed two regional consultants, wrote the report. Situation Analysis released to national meeting in San Ignacio, Belize, August, 2011.
• 2008 – current: Consultancy to UNICEF Latin America-Caribbean (TACRO) to develop background theoretical justification and proposed set of region-wide, ecological indicators for assessing youth/adolescent well-being. Background report submitted June 2008; proposed indicators presented in Panama City Regional HQ October 2008; draft final indicators with justification submitted December 2008; indicators and framework finalized February 2009; presented to UNICEF World Headquarters September 2009; finalization of framework and indicators for MICS4 and beyond at UNICEF headquarters October 2009. Presented framework in August 2010 at 5th World Youth Congress, Istanbul Turkey, and in September at UNICEF Regional Focal Points meeting, Mexico City.