Frank Wong

Dr. Wong has expertise in community-based research targeting racial/ethnic and underserved populations with a history of or who are currently using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) and engaging in HIV-related risk practices. His NIH-funded research (since 2001) focuses on the social epidemiology of ATOD, HIV, and other non-HIV sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among these populations in the U.S., South Africa, China, Tajikistan, Viet Nam, and Russia.

Dr. Wong has expertise in community-based research targeting racial/ethnic and underserved populations with a history of or who are currently using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) and engaging in HIV-related risk practices. His NIH-funded research (since 2001) focuses on the social epidemiology of ATOD, HIV, and other non-HIV sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among these populations in China, Panamá, South Africa, Tajikistan, the U.S., Việt Nam, and Russia.

Dr. Wong is one of the handful of behavioral and social sciences researchers who conduct NIH-funded research addressing sexual health and substance use/abuse as well as other health disparities among AAPIs in the United States. In addition, he is one of the first Western investigators to examine HIV-related risks (including ATOD) among men who have sex with men in China, where they now have the highest incidence and prevalence of HIV and other non-HIV STIs such as syphilis. Collectively, these two sets of work have informed others in the field on how to conduct research with these hard-to-reach and hard-to-engage populations.

Dr. Wong is also known for his work in capacity building for research infrastructure. Before returning to academia full-time in 2000, he spent 7 years of his professional career delivering social and health prevention services that targeted under-served and vulnerable populations such as immigrants and refugees (in Boston) and ex-offenders (in New York City).

Academic Administrative Leadership Appointments

2020-present: Founding Director, Center of Population Sciences for Health Equity (C-PHSE) College of Nursing, Florida State University - https://cpshe.fsu.edu Overseeing a transdisciplinary research center promoting health equity

2018-2020: Acting Associate Director, Center for Indigenous Nursing Research for Health Equity (INRHE), College of Nursing, Florida State University

Assisting the Director in all aspects of operation and research development as well as promoting the mission of the Center

AREAS OF FOCUS

HIV Disease Progression and Management
Migration and Health
Mental and Sexual Health among Sexual Minorities
Substance Misuse
Integration of Innovative Behavioral/Social Science
Clinical Methodologies for Studying the Above Topics

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

2018-present: Professor (tenured), College of Nursing, Florida State University
2020-present: Scientist-Educator (courtesy), Department of Population Health Science, John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center
2020-present: Professor (courtesy), Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine, Florida State University
2019-present: Professor (courtesy), College of Social Work, Florida State University
2019-present: Faculty Affiliate (courtesy), Center for Translational Behavioral Science, College of Medicine, Florida State University
2018-present: Graduate Affiliate Faculty (courtesy), Department of Psychology, College of Social Sciences, University of Hawaii at Mānoa
2016-present: Concurrent Professor (highest level of appointment for a non-Chinese national in recognition for contributions to the University), Fudan University, Shanghai, China
2015-present: Adjunct Professor (courtesy), Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., Social Psychology (major) and Management (minor), Texas A&M University
• B.A. (Honors), Psychology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada

HONORS AND AWARDS

Fellow, American Psychological Association

Concurrent Professor (highest level of appointment for a non-Chinese national in recognition for contributions to the University), Fudan University, Shanghai, China

RESEARCH EXPERTISE

Study Populations

Asian Pacific Americans in the United States and Affiliated Jurisdictions
Immigrants, Refugees, and Transient as well as Displaced People
Indigenous Populations
Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Sexual and Gender Minorities

Areas
Intersectionality of clinical and macrosocial determinants on physical, psychosocial, and mental health
Migration and Health (especially depression, HIV, other non-HIV sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, substance misuse, and viral hepatitis)
Sexual Health (including HIV and other non-HIV STIs such as syphilis)
Substance Misuse
HIV Disease Progression and Management (e.g., hypertension)

EDITORIAL BOARDS

AIDS Education and Prevention
American Journal of Community Psychology
Globalization and Health

SERVICES

Florida State University

• 2021- Member, Ph.D. Task Force, College of Nursing
• 2021- Member, Health Research Funding Working Group, Office of Research
• 2021- Member, Committee of the Milton S. Carothers Faculty Lecture Series
• 2021 Ad Hoc Reviewer, Collaborative Collision Seed Fund, Office of Research
• 2020-21 Member, Search Committee for the Dean of Nursing (Provost Appointment)
• 2020-21 Member, Council of Associate Dean for Research
• 2020- Executive Committee Member, United Faculty of Florida-FSU Chapter
• 2020 Member, Faculty Merger Committee (College of Nursing & College of Human Sciences; Provost Appointment)
• 2019- Member, Advisory Working Group, Florida Health Equity Research Institute
• 2019-20 Mentor, Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement
• 2019- Member, Institutional Review Board, Office of Research
• 2019- Member, International Advisory Committee, Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
• 2019-20 Member, Research Committee, College of Nursing
• 2019-20 Member, Search Committee for the Dean of Nursing
• 2019-20 Member, Working Group on 100&Change’s application (MacArthur Foundation), Office of Research
• 2018- Founder, Viet Nam Initiative (Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs)
• 2018-20 Member, Promotion and Tenure Committee, College of Nursing
• 2018-19 Member, Ph.D. Task Force, College of Nursing

International, National, and Regional Committee and Boards:

• 2021- Member, Data Safety and Monitoring Board, mHealth Messaging to Motivate Quitline Use and Quitting among Persons Living with HIV (PLWH) in Vietnam (U01CA261604; MPIs: Rajani Sadasivam and Hoa Nguyen)
• 2021- Member, Professional Advisory Board, The Lotus Project: Improving Trauma-informed Care and Prevention for Asian Children and Families (funded by SAMHSA: 1H79SM085087-01)
• 2019-20 Scientific Advisor, University of Utah National Research Mentoring Network (funded by the National Institutes of Health)
• 2018- Faculty Interviewer, Vietnam Education Foundation-2, Hà Nội, Việt Nam
• 2018- Member, Scientific Community Leadership Council, The Indigenous Wellness Research Institute National Center of Excellence, School of Social Work, University of Washington funded by the National Institutes of Health
• 2018-2020 Mentor, Grantwriting Uncovered: Maximizing Strategies, Help, Opportunities, Experiences (GUMSHOE) of the National Research Mentoring Network (University of Colorado, University of Hawaii, Washington State University) funded by the National Institutes of Health
• 2018-2020 Member, Scientific Community Leadership Council, The Indigenous Wellness Research Institute National Center of Excellence, School of Social Work, University of Washington funded by the National Institutes of Health
• 2017- Member, Steering Committee, Research Core J (Sociobehavioral and Prevention Research), Center for AIDS Research, University of Washington
• 2016- Faculty Interviewer, Vietnam Education Foundation (and VEF-2), Washington, D.C.
• 2015- External Reviewer, Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong

PEER REVIEW ARTICLES AND CONTRIBUTIONS

 (2018-present) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5835-9938
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=7kY-804AAAAJ&cstart=0&pagesize=20
* Mentee and/or Student
** Junior colleague

Burns PA**, Hall CX**, Poteat T, Mena LA, Wong FY. Living while Black, gay, and poor: Race, neighborhood structural disadvantage, and PrEP utilization among a sample of Black men who wave sex with men in the Deep South. AIDS Education and Prevention, 2021, 33(5): 395-410. doi: 10.1521/aeap.2021.33.5.395

Millender E**, Barile JP**, Bagneris J*, Harris R*, De Faria L, Wong FY, Crusto C, Taylor JY. Associations between social determinants of health, perceived discrimination, and body mass index on symptoms of depression among young African American mothers. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 2021; 35(1): 94-101. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2020.09.014

Wang L*, Barile JP**, Simoni JM, Harris R*, Yue Q, Fu J, Huang Z, Ning Z**, Wong FY. Intimate partner violence among transwomen in Shanghai, China: Associations with sexual risk behaviors and HIV testing. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 2021; 48(5): 362-369. doi: 10. 1097/OLQ.0000000000001317

Wong JA, Dang LH, Ngoc PT, Le T, Vu NC, Vu TD, James S, Katona P, Katona L, Rosen J, Wong FY, Nguyen CK.Effectiveness of an automated errors checking and feedback system to improve text message reporting for disease surveillance in Vietnam. Telemedicine and e-Health, 2021; 27(4); 448-453. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2020. 0065

Xu X, Lin H, Chen X, Zhu B, Shen W, Ning C, Qian X, Xu X, Shi R, Liu X, Wong FY, He N, Ding Y**. Differences in hypertension and prehypertension among adults with and without HIV infection in China: role of HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy. HIV Medicine, 2021; 22(5): 409-417. doi: 10.1111/hiv.13040

Shi RZ, Chen XX, Lin HJ, Shen WW, Xu XH, Zhu BX, Xu XY, Ding Y**, Wong FY, He N. Association of HIV infection with metabolic syndrome among normal or underweight young adults: evidence from The CHART Cohort. BioScience Trends, 2020; 14(6): 450-456. doi: 10. 5582/bst.2020.03351

Xavier Hall CDX*, Luu M*, Nehl E**, He N, Zheng T, Haardörfer R**, Wong FY. Do the same socio-demographic variables predict testing uptake and sero-status?: HIV and syphilis among an observational sample of Chinese MSM in Shanghai, China. International Journal AIDS & STD, 2020; 31(10): 939-949. doi: 10.1177/ 0956462420909733

Ding Y**, Ma Z, He J, Xu X, Qiao S, Xu L, Shi R, Xu X, Zhu B, Li J, Wong FY, He N. Evolving HIV epidemiology in mainland China: 2009-2018. Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 2019; 16(6); 423-430. doi: 10.1007/s11904-019-00468-z

He N (corresponding author), Ding Y**, Li J, Yuan S, Xu L, Qiao S, Xu X, Zhu B, Shi R, Barile JP**, Wong FY (corresponding author). HIV and aging in mainland China: Implications for control and prevention research. Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 2019; 16(6): 439-447. doi: 10.1007/s11904-019-00473-2

Hall CD*, Ibragimov U*, Luu M*, Wong FY. “Actives,” passives, and power: Heteronormative gender norms and their implications for intimate partner violence among men who have sex with men in Tajikistan. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 2019; 22(6): 630- 645. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2019.1623913

Ibragimov U*, Haardöefer R**, Cooper HLF**, Dunkle KL**, Zule WA, Wong FY. Pharmacists’ attitudes and practices about selling syringes to people who inject drugs in Tajikistan: results of a syringe purchase audit and a survey. The International Journal of Drug Policy, 2019; (71): 62-72. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.s019. 06.009

Tran BX**, Wong FY, Huy-Pham KT, Latkin CA, Hai-Ha G, Thu-VU G, Ho CSH, Ho RCM. Evolution of interdisciplinary landscapes of HIV/AIDS studies from 1983 to 2017: Results from the Global Analysis for Policy in Research (GAPRESEARCH). AIDS Reviews, 2019; 21(4): 184-194. PMID: 31834329

Ning Z**, Jie F**, Zhuang M, Park JA*, Ibragimov U*, He N, Wong FY (corresponding author). HIV and syphilis epidemic among MSM and non-MSM aged 50 and above in Shanghai, China: A yearly cross-sectional study, 2008-2014. Global Public Health, 2018; 13(11): 1625-1633. doi: 10.1080/17441692.2018. 1427271

Liu Y, Zhang Y, Ning Z**, Zheng H, Ding Y**, Gao M, Wong FY, He N. Intimate partner violence victimization and HIV infection among men who have sex with men in Shanghai, China. BioScience Trends, 2018; 12(2): 142-148.doi: 10.5582/bst. 2018.01035

MA GX, Tan Y, Lee M, Hanlon AL, Feng Z, Shireman TI, Rhee J, Wei Z, Wong FY, Koh HS, Kim C, York Q.Efficacy of a community-based participatory intervention to enhance hepatitis B screening and vaccination in underserved Korean Americans. Cancer, 2018; 124(5): 973-982. doi: 10.1002/cncr.31134

Liu C, Ding Y**, Zhen N**, Gao M, Liu X**, Wong FY, He N. Factors associated with uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis: Some qualitative insights from an intervention study of men who have sex with men in China. Sexual Health, 2018; 15(1): 39-45. doi: 10.1071/SH17075

Ibragimov U*, Wong FY. Qualitative examination of enacted stigma towards gay and bisexual men and related health outcomes in Tajikistan, Central Asia. Global Public Health, 2018; 13(5): 597-611. doi: 10.1080/17441692.2016.1224910

FUNDED GRANTS

2021-26 Fostering Institutional Resources for Science Transformation: The FLORIDA-FIRST Health-science Brigade (U54CA267730-01); National Institutes of Health: PI (Contact) -- $14,593,580

2021-23 Building Resilience to Minority Stress and HIV-related Stigma for Promoting Positive Sexual Health among Vietnamese High-risk Men (R21TW011759-01A1); Fogarty International Center, National Institutions of Health: PI (Contact) -- $369,164

2021-26 The Lotus Project: Improving Trauma-informed Care and Prevention for Asian Children and Families (1H79SM085087-01); Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration Consultant (PI: TooruNemoto)

2020-23 Identifying the Influence of Genetic and Social Epigenomic Factors on Long-term Comorbid Outcomes on Depression and Cardiovascular Disease (043846); Health Data Science Institute, Office of Research, Florida State University: Co-I (PI: Eugenia Millender) -- $20,000

2018-23 Unpacking the Mechanisms of Disparities for HIV-related Hypertension in African-American and Asian/Pacific-American MSM; National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01MD013501-01): PI (Contact) -- $3,425,404