Kimberly Kisler, Ph.D.

Kimberly Kisler received her Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles and her Master’s in Public Health degree from the University of Southern California. Dr. Kisler’s professional experience ranges from serving as an HIV test counselor and managing a school-based health center to running an immunization program for high school students and coordinating health education efforts for Los Angeles county. In addition to a wide range of experience in public health, especially in HIV prevention among marginalized populations, she has received a number of merit-based fellowships, including the Charles F. Scott award and the UCLA Faculty Women’s Club Scholarship, as well as received the “Excellence in Abstract Submissions among New Investigators” award from the HIV/AIDS Caucus at the 138th annual American Public Health Association meeting.

Prior to joining Friends Research Institute, she served as the Project Director for the Enhanced Sexual Health Intervention for Men (ES-HIM) Project at UCLA. This research study, which was also the topic of her dissertation work, was a six-session culturally congruent intervention aimed at reducing symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as reducing high-risk sexual behaviors among HIV-positive non-gay identifying African American bisexual men who have histories of childhood sexual abuse. Currently, Dr. Kisler works as the Program Director for three Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded programs, including an adapted version of the evidence-based intervention, Safety Counts, for high-risk transgender women, as well as the comprehensive risk counseling and services (CRCS) and counseling, testing, and referral (CTR) programs, both which serve transgender women and substance-using MSM. In addition, Dr. Kisler also oversees a HRSA-funded SPNS initiative, The Alexis Project, which aims to identify, link, and retain HIV-positive transgender women of color in quality HIV care.