Ana Ventuneac, Ph.D. is an Instructor of Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University and a Research Project Manager at the HIV Center. She is also a member of the Development Core to enhance the capacity of HIV Center investigators to employ innovative information technology tools for data collection, outreach, intervention, and scientific cooperation for HIV-related research. As a junior researcher, Dr. Ventuneac has served as a Co-Investigator on a number of studies examining sexual risk behavior and microbicide acceptability among women and men who have sex with men (MSM).  She is also the Principal Investigator of an HIV Center-funded pilot study to work collaboratively with community members and information technology (IT) specialists to design a peer-led, professionally monitored online platform for young ethnic minority MSM who have tested for HIV because they are worried about a possible recent exposure. This pilot study will serve as a first step in the design and development of an online platform that could be easily disseminated (as a software application) and adapted for use by community based organizations in providing support to young ethnic minority MSM who are worried about a recent possible exposure to HIV.

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