Currently, Matt is a full-time Research Analyst in the Department of Community Medicine and Health Care at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, CT. While at the Health Center, he has worked and focused primarily on substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention projects in the Health Services Research Unit and the Program in Medical Humanities, Law, and Ethics. He has worked on federally funded research projects at the Health Center since 1997.

The three current research or recent projects that he is involved with include:

Project Director/Research Analyst, September 2000 - present
HIV Criminal Law and Policy Project

The HIV Law project is funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 1999 - 2002. The principal investigator for the project is Zita Lazzarini, JD, MPH, a national expert in Public Health Law. The goal of the project is to collect and analyze criminal laws (e.g. prostitution laws, sodomy laws, etc.) in the 50 states which relate to HIV transmission as well as analyze how these laws may affect the transmission of HIV. The project will also develop and administer a survey to gay men in two different jurisdictions in two different parts of the country to examine how the law effects HIV transmission in these two states.

Duties:

• Develop and manage project databases of state HIV law and HIV prevalence data

• Develop, design, and maintain a project web site for storing and disseminating project findings and the 50 state HIV law profile

• Collect and analyze HIV enforcement, prevalence, and law data

• Prepare narrative and statistical reports

• Report project findings

• Assist principal investigator in research's administrative activities including the preparation of the IRB application and meeting other federal grant requirements

• Supervise the project's Research Assistants

• Assist in the training of research assistants and field staff

Data/Research Analyst, July 2001 - present
Geographic Studies of Prostate Cancer

This 3-year study will examine geographic and space-time variation of
incidence, detection, survival, and mortality among Connecticut and
Massachusetts residents with prostate cancer for the years 1985-1999.
A geographically referenced database of 80,000 incident prostate
cancers cases will be prepared. A spatial scan statistic (calculated by
SaTScan software) will test the null hypothesis that cancer incidence,
staging, survival and mortality are uniformly distributed across locations
for discrete periods of time (1985-89, 1990-94, 1995-99) and that
geographic patterns persist over time (1985-99). During the second year
of the project, new procedures for multivariate modeling of
interrelatedness among disease events will be developed. In addition,
geographic variation of cancer trends in relation to race/ethnicity
differences across the region will be assessed. Finally, an annotated
summary of geographic studies of prostate cancer, a methodological
note on spatial analysis and a sample dataset and instructional modules will be prepared for electronic distribution.  The principal investigator for the is David I. Gregorio, Ph.D., M.S. and is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Duties:

• Write quarterly reports for funding requirements
• Review literature on deprivation
• Design, prepare and maintain web-based, educational training modules on GIS
• Develop, design and maintain the division web site
• Geocode and geographically reference addresses of incident cancer cases
• Analyze, interpret, and prepare complex statistical data using SPSS, SatScan, Maptitute, and ArcView.
• Prepare narrative and statistical reports
• Prepare and perform scientific presentations
• Maintain and manage project databases of over 80,000 incident cancer cases from over a 15 year period in two states
• Assist principal investigator in research's administrative activities including the preparation of the IRB application and meeting other federal grant requirements

Project Coordinator/Research Analyst, 1998 - July, 2001
Governor's Prevention Initiative for Youth

The Governor's Prevention Initiative for Youth (GPIY) is a 3 year state incentive grant funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). A team of researchers from the University of Connecticut Health Center are conducting a process and outcome evaluation of this statewide initiative on three levels: state, community, and program. The principal investigator for the GPIY evaluation is Jane Ungemack, Dr.P.H.

Duties:

• Coordinate a substance abuse prevention student survey in 21 school districts statewide 
• Coordinate the data collection and analysis of program-level outcome data
• Develop, design and maintain a project web site
• Develop and implement formal research designs
• Analyze, interpret, and prepare complex statistical data
• Prepare narrative and statistical reports
• Develop data collection forms and survey instruments
• Conduct semi-structured interviews with program-level and state agency staff
• Train program-level staff in research protocols and data analysis

Previous Research Experience

• Research Assistant, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
• Intern, Research & Evaluation Area, The Consultation Center, Yale University School of Medicine
• Assistant Project Director, Adrienne Kirby Family Literacy Project, Fairfield University
• Research Assistant, Fairfield University

Research Skills

Matt's research and computer skills include:

• Knowledge of research protocols, principles and
  procedures
• Data analysis using SPSS, SAS, and S-Plus statistical software packages
• Data management
• Computerizes database design and development
• Project management
• Oral and written communication skills
• Ability to identify, produce, organize, analyze, evaluate and interpret data

Research Interests

Matt's broad research interests are in the field of community psychology and public health including:

• Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD) Use Prevention
• HIV/AIDS Prevention
• Literacy
• School Transitions
• Learning Styles
• Health Services Research
• Law and Environmental Prevention Strategies
• Evaluation Research
• Participatory Action Research
• Qualitative and Quantitative Methodology
• Community Development

Curriculum Vitae

• View Matt's Curriculum Vitae (a form of a resume typical for those in the academic sector)
• View the 2001 American Public Health Association poster (134KB) on Racial/Ethnic Differences in Substance Use Among Students attending Homogeneous and Heterogeneous School Districts. Note: Best viewed on screen at 100% or printed on 11"x17" paper since actual poster is 5' x 3 1/2' and meant for a poster session.