Stacey McKenna

About Stacey

Stacey researches and writes about the policy, social and economic factors that mitigate and contribute to the risks associated with sexual and substance use behaviors. Prior to joining R Street, Stacey worked for five years as a freelance science journalist and research consultant. Most recently, she collaborated on studies examining HIV medication adherence and romantic relationships in Malawi; the feasibility of novel PrEP delivery strategies among transgender women in New York; and a community needs assessment for the development of a health equity curriculum for providers in Denver.

Previously, Stacey was research assistant professor at University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver). As a co-investigator on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, she used ethnographic methods to explore the intersection of drug acquisition and survival strategies among a network of individuals who used methamphetamine. During this time, she also taught public health and anthropology courses for CU Denver and the Metropolitan University of Denver.

Stacey has a B.A. in anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a M.A. in anthropology from Case Western Reserve University, and a PhD in health and behavioral sciences from CU Denver. Her dissertation focused on the social construction of (il)licit amphetamine in media and public health campaigns and the experience of stigma among methamphetamine users.

She lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband, dog and mule.