Biography

Rebecca Papas, PhD is a clinical health psychologist. She earned her bachelors degree at Boston University and her doctoral degree in clinical health psychology at the University of Florida. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the West Haven VA in West Haven, CT, then a two year research fellowship at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale University. She held a research faculty position at Yale University from 2007 through 2009 before coming to Brown University and the Providence VA Medical Center in 2010. Her academic appointment is in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. She is core faculty in the International Health Institute, on the advisory board of the Brown Kenya program, and an affiliate member of the Brown Alcohol Research Center on HIV and the Tufts/Lifespan/Brown Center for AIDS Research. Her clinical research interests include the cultural adaptation of empirically validated behavioral interventions, randomized clinical trials of behavioral interventions to reduce alcohol use and other HIV risk behaviors and to improve mental health functioning, and gender health disparities in resource-limited settings.

Funded Research

ACTIVE

Agency: NIH/NIAAA
I.D.# R01 AA020805
Title: "A Stage 2 cognitive-behavioral trial: Reduce Alcohol First in Kenya Intervention (RAFIKI)"
P.I.: Rebecca Papas, Ph.D.
Percent effort: 25%
Total costs for project period: $2,783,785
Project period: 09/01/2011 – 08/31/2016
Role on project: Principal Investigator


PAST

Agency: NIH/NIAAA
I.D.# R21 AA016884
Title: "Alcohol & HIV in Kenya: Stage 1 Trial of a Peer-led Alcohol Behavior Intervention"
P.I.: Rebecca Papas, Ph.D.
Percent effort: 25%
Total costs for project period: $329,085
Project period: 07/10/2007 – 12/31/2010
Role on project: Principal Investigator

Agency: NIH/NIMH
I.D.# F31 MH12880 – National Research Service Award
Title: "Sex-Related Predictors of Health Care Use for Pain"
P.I.: Rebecca Papas, Ph.D.
Percent effort: 100%
Total costs for project period: $46,726
Project period: 08/01/2000 – 07/31/2002
Role on project: Principal Investigator

Selected Publications

• Papas, R.K., Gakinya, B.N., Martino, S., Baliddawa, J.B., Bryant, K.J., Meslin, E.M., Sidle, J.E. (2012). Ethical issues in a Stage 1 cognitive-behavioral therapy feasibility study and trial to reduce alcohol use among HIV-infected outpatients in western Kenya. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 7(3), 29-37. [PMID: 22850141](2012)
• Papas, R.K., Sidle, J.E., Gakinya, B.N., Baliddawa, J.B., Martino, S. Mwaniki, M.M., Songole, R., Omolo, O.E., Kamanda, A. Owino-Ong'or, W.D., Harrington, M., Ayuku, D.O., Ojwang, C., Bryant, K.J., Carroll, K.M., Justice, A.C., Hogan, J.W., Maisto, S.A. Treatment outcomes of a Stage 1 cognitive-behavioral trial to reduce alcohol use among HIV-infected outpatients in western Kenya. (2011) Addiction, 106(12), 2156-66. [PMCID: 3208780](2011)
• Papas, R.K., Sidle, J.E., Wamalwa, E.S., Okumu, T.O., Bryant K.J., Goulet, J.L., Maisto S.A., Braithwaite, R.S., Justice, A.C. (2010). Estimating alcohol content of traditional brew in western Kenya using culturally relevant methods: the case for cost over volume. AIDS and Behavior, 14(4): 836-44. [PMCID: 2909349](2010)
• Papas, R.K., Sidle, J.E., Martino, S., Baliddawa, J.B., Songole, R., Omolo, O.E., Gakinya, B.N., Mwaniki, M.M., Adina, J.O., Nafula, T., Owino-Ong'or, W.D., Bryant, K.J., Carroll, K.M., Goulet, J.L., Justice, A.C., Maisto, S.A. (2010). Systematic cultural adaptation of cognitive-behavioral therapy to reduce alcohol use among HIV-infected outpatients in western Kenya. AIDS and Behavior, 14(3):669-78. [PMCID: 2949418](2010)
• Haskell, S.J., Papas, R.K., Heapy A.H., Reid M.C., Kerns R.K. (2008). The Association of Sexual Trauma with Persistent Pain in a Sample of Women Veterans Receiving Primary Care, Pain Medicine, 9(6), 710-7. [PMID: 18565005](2008)
• Hoffman, B.H., Papas, R.K., Chatkoff, D., & Kerns, R.K. (2007). A meta-analysis of psychological interventions for chronic low back pain. Health Psychology, 26(1) 1-9. [PMID: 17209691](2007)
• Papas, R.K., Riley, III, J.L., & Robinson, M.E. (2006). Multidimensional associations with health care use in the community. For inclusion in H. Flor, E. Kalso, & J. Dostrovsky (Eds.), Proceedings of the 11th World Congress on Pain. Seattle: IASP Press.(2006)
• Haskell, S.J., Heapy, A.H., Reid, M.C., Papas, R.K., Kerns RK. (2006). The prevalence and age-related characteristics of pain in a sample of women veterans receiving primary care. Journal of Women's Health,15(7), 864-871. [PMID: 16999642](2006)
• Papas, R.K., Belar, C.D., & Rozensky, R.H. (2004). The practice of clinical health psychology: professional issues. For inclusion in R. Frank, J. Wallander, & A. Baum (Eds.), Handbook of Clinical Health Psychology, Volume 3. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.(2004)
• Papas, R.K., Logan, H.L., & Tomar, S.L. (2004). Effectiveness of a community-based oral cancer awareness campaign. Cancer Causes and Control, 15(2), 121-131. [PMID: 15017124](2004)
• Riley, III, J.L., Wade, J.B., Myers, C.D., Sheffield, D., Papas, R.K., & Price, D.D. (2002). Racial/ethnic differences in the experience of chronic pain. Pain, 100, 291-298. [PMID: 12468000](2002)
• Robinson, M.E., Riley, III, J.L., Myers, C.D., Papas, R.K., Wise, E.A., Waxenberg, L.W., & Fillingim, R. (2001). Gender role expectations of pain: Relationship to sex differences in pain. Journal of Pain, 2, 252-257. [PMID: 14622803](2001)
• Papas, R.K, Robinson, M.E., & Riley, III, J.L. (2001). Perceived spouse responsiveness to chronic pain: Three empirical subgroups. Journal of Pain, 2, 262-269. [PMID: 14622805](2001)