Ian Holloway

Ian W. Holloway, PhD, LCSW, MPH is a licensed clinical social worker and an associate professor of social welfare in the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Professor Holloway’s applied behavioral health research examines the contextual factors that contribute to heath disparities among sexual and gender minority populations. He is an expert in social network analysis and is particularly interested in how social media and new technologies can be harnessed for health promotion and disease prevention. Dr. Holloway has been a principal investigator on research studies funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Department of Defense, and the California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CHRP). He currently directs the Southern California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Center, which brings the most relevant and timely evidence to bear on California’s efforts to develop and maintain efficient, cost-effective, and accessible programs and services to people living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS.

This research aims to examine the multi-level factors associated with tobacco and cannabis product use among sexual and gender minority (SGM) emerging adults in California, as well as understanding how tobacco and cannabis product use differs by SGM subgroups on California. In the second phase, this study will also compare tobacco and cannabis product use among SGM emerging adults in California to their heterosexual, cisgender counterparts. Previous research has shown the sexual and gender minority (SGM) population are more likely to smoke cigarettes than their heterosexual and cisgender peers, and SGM populations experience a younger age of smoking initiation, have higher frequency of smoking, score higher on nicotine dependence, and have elevated polysubstance use.