Kristen Regenauer is a doctoral candidate in the University of Maryland Clinical Psychology Program where she works with Dr. Jessica Magidson in the Global Mental Health and Addiction Program (GMAP).

Kristen received a B.A. in Psychology from Middlebury College in 2017. Following undergrad, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Behavioral Medicine Program at Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School. In this position, she worked on several behavioral intervention studies focused on HIV prevention and care in low-resource settings around the world, including in South Africa, India, and Zimbabwe. She also served as a research assistant for the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research (HU CFAR) BioBehavioral and Community Science Core. 

Since joining the University of Maryland, Kristen's research has primarily occurred in resource-limited neighborhoods around Cape Town, South Africa. She has served as a primary graduate research assistant on a peer-delivered behavioral intervention study to increase adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and decrease substance use among people living with HIV who use substances (R01DA053102; K23DA041901; PI: Magidson); a study developing and implementing a depression and substance use stigma-reduction training for community health workers in the context of HIV and TB care (R34MH122268; MPI: Magidson/Myers); and a study developing and implementing a peer recovery coach model into HIV care to help re-engage patients living with HIV who use substances back into care (R21DA053212; MPI: Magidson/Myers). In Fall 2022, Kristen received funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to examine if the aforementioned peer recovery coach model (R21DA053212) reduces patient internalized substance use stigma, and if changes in patient internalized substance use stigma are associated with re-engagement in HIV care or engagement in substance use treatment (R36DA057167; PI: Regenauer). Clinically, Kristen works as a psychology extern in the Health and Recovery Practice (HARP) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, an integrated community practice co-located with various addiction services to provide care for people who use or have used drugs. 

Currently, Kristen's research interests include adapting evidence-based behavioral interventions for stigmatized populations (e.g., people who use substances, people living with HIV) in resource-limited settings, with an emphasis on stigma and task-sharing to people with lived experience of a stigmatized identity. She plans to apply to clinical internships in Fall 2023.