Jacob Bleasdale is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Central Florida. He holds a PhD and MS in Community Health and Health Behavior from the University at Buffalo, completed a NIAAA-funded T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship in translational science, alcohol, and HIV within the Southern HIV and Alcohol Research Consortium at the University of Florida, and is a certified health education specialist.
Bleasdale’s research uses mixed-methods and community-engaged approaches to examine how health-related social needs (e.g., food insecurity, housing instability, and financial hardship), along with alcohol and substance use, influence HIV and STI prevention and treatment. His secondary lines of work focus on developing and evaluating novel alcohol harm-reduction strategies and investigating biopsychosocial determinants of sexual health through qualitative and quantitative methods. He also serves as the Program Chair-Elect for the American Public Health Association LGBTQ Health Caucus and as an Editorial Board Member for BMC Public Health.
Credentials
- Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy, Community Health and Health Behavior, University at Buffalo
- MS, Master of Science, Community Health and Health Behavior, University at Buffalo
- BS, Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo
- CHES, Certified Health Education Specialist, National Commission for Health Education Credentialing
Jacob Bleasdale uses mixed-methods and community-engaged approaches to examine how health-related social needs (e.g., food insecurity, housing instability, financial hardship) and alcohol and substance use influence HIV and STI prevention and treatment among vulnerable and marginalized communities. His work seeks to identify barriers and facilitators to care and inform interventions that promote health equity. In addition, he explores harm reduction strategies for alcohol use and investigates the biopsychosocial determinants of sexual health through both qualitative and quantitative methods.
Areas of Specialty
- HIV/STI prevention and treatment
- Health-related social needs
- Substance use and misuse
- Alcohol-related harm reduction
The new face of HIV in Florida
After four decades of hard-won progress toward curbing the HIV epidemic, the face of the disease is changing.
