Rachel Gonzales, Ph.D. is a research psychologist who joined Azusa Pacific's Department of Psychology as an associate professor in 2011. She has extensive training in public health, developmental and health psychology, and addiction medicine/psychiatry. Her teaching and research integrate qualitative and quantitative research methods, with a focus on the application of behavioral and social-system-level theories to understand the etiology and maintenance of risky behaviors among diverse populations. Primary interests include tertiary prevention and disease management approaches, including wellness/health promotion; adolescent and young adult health.
She is researching the recovery from substance use, taking a developmental social approach, and serves as the principal investigator on a five-year, NIH-funded grant to develop and test the utility of a mobile-based continuing care recovery support program (text messaging) for youth transitioning out of substance abuse treatment. She is also an affiliated scholar in the Integrated Substance Abuse Programs within the Department of Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles.