Margaret R. Weeks, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Institute for Community Research
860-278-2044 ext. 229
mweeks@icrweb.org

Margaret R. Weeks, Ph.D. is a socio-cultural anthropologist and Executive Director of The Institute for Community Research in Hartford, Connecticut. The Institute is an independent non-profit organization that conducts research with community partners on health, education, and cultural expression. Dr. Weeks has significant experience in community-based, applied social science research and collaborative program development and administration. She has research expertise in substance abuse and AIDS, including issues of HIV prevention for drug users and their sex partners (particularly culturally targeted prevention for African Americans and Puerto Ricans), as well as expertise in women's health and gender issues both in the U.S. and China. As an applied social science researcher, since 1989 she has conducted studies of HIV/AIDS prevention among drug users and their sex partners, and evaluated AIDS prevention programs in collaboration with other community research and service organizations.

She is currently conducting a community participatory intervention study to promote female condom use for HIV/STD prevention in Hartford. She recently completed a study to test a multilevel intervention to train active drug users as "Peer Health Advocates," who provide HIV prevention to their peers in high-risk drug-use settings in Hartford. The latter program is being prepared for broader dissemination and implementation research. Dr. Weeks also has conducted research on the status of women in the People's Republic of China, and is currently conducting a multilevel intervention study of female condom use in sex work establishments in southern China.

Education
1978 B.A., Anthropology State University of New York at Potsdam, NY
1980 M.A., Anthropology University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
1987 Ph.D., Anthropology University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Teaching Experience
1986-2002
Adjunct Instructor, Dept. of Sociology, St. Joseph College, Hartford, CT.
1989 & 1985
Adjunct Instructor, Dept. of Sociology, University of Hartford, CT.
1986-87
Adjunct Instructor, Dept. of Anthropology, University of CT, Storrs & Hartford, CT.

Research Experience

2009-2012

Principal Investigator, Institute for Community Research (ICR), Hartford, CT; Enhancing HIV Prevention Through Multi-level Community Intervention to Promote Women-Initiated Prevention Options, funded by the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) (#R01MH084724-01A1).

2007-2012

Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; High-Risk Establishments and Women’s HIV Prevention in Southern China, funded by NIMH.

2006-2010

2005-2008
Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; Longitudinal Study of the RAP Peer Intervention for HIV, funded by the NIDA (#1 R01 DA13356).

2005-2007

Co-Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; National HIV Behavioral Surveillance, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the CT Department of Public Health and the University of Connecticut, Department of Community Medicine.

2004-2008

Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; Sustained Safe Behavior in High-Risk Women, funded by NIMH (#RO1 MH069088-01A2).

2003-2006

Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; Microbicide and Female Condom Acceptability for HIV/STD Prevention Among Female Sex Workers in Southern China, funded by the Fogarty International Research Collaboration Award for HIV-AIDS.

2002-2003
Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; Female Condom Use in High Risk Women as Predictor of Microbicide Readiness; funded by NIMH Office of AIDS Research (OAR), supplement to #R01 MH63631.

2001-2005
Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; HIV Prevention in High Risk Drug Use Sites: Project RAP (Risk Avoidance Partnership); funded by NIDA (R01 DA13356).

2000-2003
Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; Microbicide Acceptability to Prevent HIV in High-Risk Women; funded by NIMH (#R01 MH63631).

1997-2001
Project Director, ICR, Hartford, CT; Study of High-risk Drug Use Settings for HIV Prevention and RAP Pilot Study Supplement; Project 3 of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University; PI: Michael Merson; funded by NIMH and NIDA (#P01 MH/DA56826).

2000-2003
Co-Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; Effects of Partner Violence Victimization in Drug Use; PI: Merrill Singer (Hispanic Health Council-HHC); funded by NIDA

(#R01 DA13140).

1998-2002
Co-Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; Pathways to High-risk Drug Abuse among Urban Youth; PI: Jean J. Schensul (ICR); funded by NIDA (#R01 DA11421).

1998-2001
Co-Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; Longitudinal Study of HIV Risk Among Drug Users; PI: Merrill Singer (HHC); funded by NIDA (#R01 DA11359).

1997-2000
Co-Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; Intersecting Epidemics among Puerto Rican Drug Users (Substance Abuse, Violence and AIDS); PI: Merrill Singer (HHC); funded by NIDA (#R01 DA10438).

1994-1997
Co-Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; Effectiveness of Needle Exchange in AIDS Prevention; PI: Merrill Singer (HHC); funded by NIDA (#R01 DA09224).

1992-1997
Co-Principal Investigator, ICR, Hartford, CT; Community Outreach Prevention Effort II; PI: Merrill Singer (HHC); funded by NIDA (cooperative agreement #U01 DA07284).

1988-1992
Project Director, ICR, Hartford, CT; Community Outreach Prevention Effort; PI: Merrill Singer (HHC); funded by NIDA (demonstration research #R18 DA05750).

1982-1987
Dissertation research conducted in the People's Republic of China; Dissertation title: Concepts of Gender and Reproduction and the Changing Status of Urban Women in the People's Republic of China

Publications

Weeks, M.R., Liao, S.S., Li, F., Li, J., Dunn, J., He, B., He, Q., Feng, W., & Wang, Y. (2010). Challenges, strategies and lessons learned from a participatory community intervention study to promote female condoms among rural sex workers in southern China. AIDS Education and Prevention, 22 (3) (forthcoming May-June).

Weeks, M.R., Li, J.H., Dickson-Gomez, J., Convey, M., Martinez, M., Radda, K., and Clair, S. (2009). Outcomes of a Peer HIV Prevention Program with Injection Drug and Crack Users: The Risk Avoidance Partnership. Substance Use and Misuse, 44: 253-281.

Dickson-Gomez, J., Hilario, H., Convey, M., Corbett, M., Weeks, M.R., and Martinez, M. (2009).  The Relationship between Housing Status and HIV Risk among Active Drug Users:  A Qualitative Analysis. Substance Use and Misuse, 44: 139-162.

Dickson-Gómez, J., Convey, M., Hilario, H., Weeks, M.R., & Corbett, M. (2009). Hustling and Housing: Drug Users' Strategies to Obtain Shelter and Income in Hartford, Connecticut. Human Organization, 68(3): 269-279.

Weeks, M.R., Convey, M., Dickson-Gomez, J., Li, J., Radda, K., Martinez, M. and Robles, R. (2009). Changing drug users' risk environments: Peer Health Advocates as multi-level community change agents. In: Schensul, J.J and Trickett, E., eds. Multi-Level Community Based Culturally Situated Interventions, Special Issue, American Journal of Community Psychology, 43 (3/4).

Weeks, M. R., DeCarlo, P. (2009) What are the HIV Prevention Needs of Crack Cocaine Users? (18 pars.) CAPS Fact Sheet, University of California, San Francisco (online serial), 66. Available: http://www.caps.ucsf.edu/pubs/FS/crackcocaine.php (December, 21, 2009).

Corbett, M., Dickson-Gomez, J., Hilario, H., and Weeks, M.R. (2009) A Little Thing Called Love: Condom Use in High-Risk Primary Heterosexual Couples. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 41 (4):218-224.

Wang, Y., Liao, S.S., Weeks, M.R., Jiang, J.M., Abbott, M., Zhou, Y.J., He, B., Liu, W., Mosack, K.E.  (2008). Acceptability of Hypothetical Microbicides among Women in Sex Establishments in Rural Areas in Southern China. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 35 (1): 102-110.

Weeks, M.R., Liao, S.S., Abbott, M., He, B., Zhou, Y.J., Jiang, J.M., Liu, W., and Wang, Y. (2007). Opportunities for woman-initiated HIV prevention methods among female sex workers in Southern China. Journal of Sex Research, 44(2): 190-201.

Dickson-Gomez, J., Convey, M., Hilario, H., Corbett, A. M., & Weeks, M. (2007). Unofficial policy: access to housing, housing information and social services among homeless drug users in Hartford, Connecticut. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 2, 8. Full text available online:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1828723&blobtype=pdf

Weeks, M.R., Dickson-Gomez, J., Mosack, K.E., Convey, M., Martinez, M., and Clair, S. (2006). The Risk Avoidance Partnership: Training active drug users ad Peer Health Advocates. Journal of Drug Issues (Summer): 541-570.

Dickson-Gomez, J., Weeks, M.R., Martinez, M. and Convey, M. (2006). Times and places: Process evaluation of a peer led HIV prevention intervention. Substance Use and Misuse, 41(5): 669-690.

Torres, M., & Weeks, M. R. (2006). Sexual health protection, culture and community: Contributions of anthropology to community health education approaches: An introduction. International Quarterly of Community Health Education, 25(1-2), 165-168.

Mosack, K.E., Weeks, M.R., Novick Sylla, L., and Abbott, M. (2005). High-Risk women’s willingness to try a simulated vaginal microbicide. Women and Health, 44 (2): 71-88.

Mosack, K.E., Abbott, M., Singer, M., Weeks, M.R., and Rohena, L. (2005). If I didn't have HIV I'd be dead now: Illness narratives of drug users living with HIV/AIDS. Qualitative Health Research, 15(5): 586-605.

Romero-Daza, N., Weeks, M.R. and Singer, M. (2005). Conceptualizing the impact of indirect violence on HIV risk among women involved in street level prostitution. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 10(2): 153-170.

Singer, M. and Weeks, M.R. (2005). The Hartford Model of AIDS practice/research collaboration. In E. Trickett & W. Piquegnat (Eds.), Community Intervention and AIDS. London: Oxford University Press.

Weeks, M.R., Mosack, K., Abbott, M., Sylla, L.N., Valdes, B., and Prince, M.  (2004).  Microbicide acceptability among high-risk urban U.S. women: Experiences and perceptions of sexually transmitted HIV prevention. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 31(11): 682-690.

Dickson-Gomez, J., Weeks, M.R., Martinez, M. and Radda, K.  (2004). Reciprocity and exploitation: Social dynamics in private drug use sites. Journal of Drug Issues, 34(4): 913-932.

Clair, S., Singer, M., Huertas, E., & Weeks, M. (2003). Unintended consequences of using an oral HIV test on HIV knowledge. AIDS Care, 15(4), 575-580.

Romero-Daza, N., Weeks, M.R., and Singer, M.  (2003) . “Nobody gives a damn if I live or die.” Experiences of violence among drug-using sex workers in Hartford, CT. Medical Anthropology, 22(3): 233-259.

Weeks, M.R., Clair, S., Borgatti, S.P., Radda, K., & Schensul, J.J. (2002). Social networks of drug users in high risk sites: Finding the connections. AIDS and Behavior, 6, 193-206.

Schensul, J.J., Radda, K., Weeks, M.R., & Clair, S. (2002). Ethnicity, social networks and HIV risk in older drug users. In: Pescosolido, B. and Levy, J., (Eds.), Advances in Medical Sociology, Volume 8: Social Networks and Health, pp. 167-197. London: Oxford Press.

Weeks, M.R., Clair, S., Singer, M., Radda, K., Schensul J.J., Wilson, D.S., Martinez, M., Scott, G. & Knight, G. (2001). High-Risk drug use sites, meaning and practice: Implications for AIDS prevention. Journal of Drug Issues, 31, 781-808.

Weeks, M. R., Clair, S., Borgatti, S. P., Radda, K., & Schensul, J. J. (2001). Social networks of drug users in high-risk sites: Finding the connections. AIDS & Behavior, 6(2), 193-206.

Dushay, R.A., Singer, M., Weeks, M.R., Rohena, L., & Gruber, R. (2001). Lowering HIV risk among ethnic minority drug users: Comparing culturally targeted intervention to a standard intervention. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 27, 501-523.

Singer, M., Scott, G., Wilson, D.S., Easton, D. & Weeks, M.R. (2001). "War Stories": AIDS Prevention and the street narratives of drug users. Qualitative Health Research, 11, 589-611.

Singer, M., Juvalis, J.A., & Weeks, M.R. (2000). High on illy: Monitoring an emergent drug problem in Hartford, CT. Medical Anthropology, 18, 365-388.

Weeks, M.R., Grier, M., Radda, K. & McKinley, D. (1999). AIDS and social relations of power: Urban African American women's discourse on the contexts of risk and prevention. In: Elwood, W., (Ed.). Power in the Blood: AIDS, Politics, and Communication, pp. 181-197, Lawrence Erlbaum Press.

Weeks, M.R., Singer, M., Himmelgreen, D.A., Richmond, P., & Romero-Daza, N. (1998). Drug use patterns of substance abusing women: Gender and ethnic differences in an AIDS prevention program. Drugs and Society, 13, 37-64.

Weeks, M.R., Grier, M., Romero-Daza, N., Puglisi-Vasquez, M.J., & Singer, M. (1998). Streets, drugs, and the economy of sex in the age of AIDS. Women and Health, 27, 203-228.

Professional Memberships
American Anthropological Association
National Association of Practicing Anthropologists (Former Board Member)
Society for Applied Anthropology Fellow

Society for Prevention Research
American Public Health Association