Bryan A. Kutner, MPH, PhD

I am a clinical psychologist and behavioral health scientist. My research aims to improve HIV service quality and health outcomes across populations by reducing stigma and other barriers to equitable health services. Projects in my lab typically employ mixed methods and community-based participatory approaches.

A central focus of my research is the application of behavioral ontologies and mechanistic tools. This is an effort to accelerate the synthesis of evidence for policy and practice by addressing a critical gap in the field: HIV-related stigma interventions in healthcare settings often lack clear theoretical articulation and use inconsistent terminology. This gap inhibits the accumulation of generalizable knowledge and delays the identification of effective strategies. By introducing a shared language and structure, behavioral ontologies could enable the field to compare, synthesize, and scale effective stigma interventions. The hope is that this ultimately will support more rapid translation of research into practice.

In addition to research, I specialize in motivational interviewing, which I often incorporate into research studies. I have developed and supervised training programs in motivational interviewing for HIV and harm reduction service providers, and led technical assistance initiatives to enhance workforce capacity.