Walter Gómez

Dr. Gómez’s research agenda is centered on addressing health inequities among sexual minority men. With the goal of informing innovative interventions, he engages with syndemics, intersectionality, and stress and coping theories and frameworks, along with mixed and qualitative methods. He has consistently worked in interdisciplinary settings in order to address social problems such as methamphetamine addiction, HIV prevention, and aging with HIV.

Professional Interests

Substance use interventions for sexual minority men
Structural, social, and cultural barriers to HIV prevention interventions
Aging with HIV
Social and sexual networks
Social capital and social movements
Qualitative and mixed methods in social welfare
Syndemics, intersectionality, and stress and coping theories and frameworks

Teaching Experience

SocW 410: Human Behavior and the Social Environment
SocW 411: Critical Social Work in a Multicultural Society
SocW 460: Social Work Research
SocW 509: Research Methods in Social Work II

Articles

Gómez, W. (2024) How Academic Social Workers Negotiate Their Direct Practice Skills and Qualitative Research Techniques. Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swae046

Gómez, W., Schustack, A., Carrico, A. W., Ramirez-Forcier, J., & Batchelder, A. (2023). In the Interest of Time: Assessing the Role of Resilience Across an Intergenerational Sample of People Living with HIV. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-023-10198-7

Gómez, W. (2023) Assessing PrEP Messaging and Communication: A Review of the Qualitative Literature. Current Opinion in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101586

Kondur HR, Lee TK, McIntosh R, Gouse H, Paul R, Grov C, Fuchs D, Gómez W, Dilworth SE, Neilands TB, Carrico AW. (2022). HIV-related drivers of sexual compulsivity and sexuality in sexual minority men who use methamphetamine. Journal of NeuroVirology, 28(3), 446-455. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13365-022-01085-0

Stump, T. K., Ethier, K., Hirschhorn, L., Dakin, A., Bouacha, N., Freeman, A., Bannon, J., Gómez, W., Moskowitz, J., & Bouris, A. (2022). Development of an implementation facilitation strategy to link mental health screening and eHealth intervention for clients in Ryan White-funded clinics in Chicago. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 90(1), S197-S205. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0000000000002980

Olem, D., Earle, M., Gómez, W., Coffin, L., Cotton, P., Jain, J. P., Moskowitz, J.T., & Carrico, A. W. (2021). Finding sunshine on a cloudy day: A positive affect intervention for co-occurring methamphetamine use and HIV. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2020.09.007

Drabble, L. A., Mericle, A. A., Gómez, W., Trocki, K. F., & Karriker-Jaffe, K. J. (2021). Differential effects of state policy environments on substance use by sexual identity: Findings from the 2000–2015 National Alcohol Surveys. Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health, 2(1), 53-74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/LGBTQ-2020-0029

Gómez, W., Holloway, I. W., Pantalone, D. W., & Grov, C. (2020). PrEP uptake as a social movement among gay and bisexual men. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2020.1831075

Carrico, A.W., Neilands, T. B., Dilworth, S.E., Evans, J. L., Gόmez W., Jain, J.P., Gandhi, M., Shoptaw, S., Horvath, K. J., Coffin, L., Discepola, M. V., Andrews, R., Woods, W.J., Feaster, D. J., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2019). Randomized controlled trial of a positive affect intervention to reduce HIV viral load among sexual minority men who use methamphetamine. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 22(12). https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25436

Carrico, A. W., Gómez, W., Jain, J., Shoptaw, S., Discepola, M. V., Olem, D., Lagana-Jackson, J., Andrews, R, Neilands, T. B., Dilworth, S. E., Evans, J. L., Woods, W. J., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2018). Randomized controlled trial of a positive affect intervention for methamphetamine users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 192, 8-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.07.029

Gómez, W., Olem, D., Andrews, R., Discepola, M. V., Ambrose, P., Dilworth, S. E., & Carrico, A. W. (2017). Optimizing contingency management with methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 25 2), 286-295. https:// doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2017.08.003

Carrico, A. W., Jain, J., Discepola, M., Olem, D., Andrews, R., Woods, W. J., Neilands, T. B., Shoptaw, S., Gómez, W., Dilworth, S. E., & Moskowitz, J.T. (2016). A community-engaged randomized controlled trial of an integrative intervention with HIV-positive, methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 673. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3325-1

Gόmez, W., Flentje, A., Schustack, A., Ramirez-Forcier, J., Andrews, B., Dilworth, S.E., Riley, E. D., Curotto, A., & Carrico, A. W. (2016). Navigating barriers to vocational rehabilitation for HIV-positive persons. AIDS and Behavior, 20(5), 1132-1142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1261-1

Carrico, A. W., Gómez, W., Siever, M. D., Discepola, M. V., Dilworth, S. E., & Moskowitz, J.T. (2015). Pilot randomized controlled trial of an integrative intervention with methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44(7), 1861-1867. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0505-5

Carrico, A. W., Nation, A., Gómez, W., Sundberg, J., Dilworth, S., Johnson, M., Moskowitz, J. T., & Dawson-Rose, C. (2014). Pilot trial of an expressive writing intervention with HIV-positive methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 29(2) 277-82. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000031

Beougher, S. C., Gómez, W., & Hoff, C. C. (2011). The couple as context: Latino gay male couples and HIV. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 13(03), 299-312. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2010.528032

Book Chapters and Monographs

Carrico, A. W., Gómez, W., & Reback, C. (2019). Evidence-based alcohol and substance use disorder treatment with sexual and gender minorities. In J. E. Pachankis & S. A. Safren (Eds.) Handbook of Evidence-Based Mental Health Practice with Sexual and Gender Minorities. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Carrillo, H., Fontdevila, J., Brown, J., and Gómez, W. (2008). Risk across borders: sexual contexts and HIV prevention challenges among Mexican gay and bisexual immigrant men. Findings and recommendations from the Trayectos Study. Monograph.

Ortiz-Torres, B., Nieves Rosa, L., Gómez, W., Malavé, S. (2005). Transferencia de tecnología a organizaciones comunitarias (Technology transfer into community-based organizations). In N. Varas Díaz & I. Serrano-García (Eds.) Psicología comunitaria: Reflexiones, implicaciones y nuevos rumbos. (Community psychology: Reflections, implications and new paths.) (pp.443-462). Hato Rey, PR: Publicaciones Puertorriqueñas.

Editorial Reviews

Qualitative Health Research
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
AIDS and Behavior

BA, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras
MA, University of California, San Francisco
MSW, University of California, Berkeley
PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)