Kaston Anderson Jr.

Associate Professor - Department of Psychology

Kaston Anderson Jr. (he/him/his) is an award-winning community-engaged scholar, teacher, and community champion. He is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University, where he also holds core and affiliate faculty positions in various consortia and institutes. He is also a Faculty Affiliate in the Center for Arab Narratives (CAN) and a Senior Research Scientist with The Alternative Sexualities Health Research Alliance (TASHRA).

Dr. Anderson earned his Ph.D. in behavioral psychology specializing in community health & development from The University of Kansas; he then completed his postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine in Addiction Health Services Research. Dr. Anderson also holds a master’s degree in public health from the KU School of Medicine and a second master’s degree in experimental psychology & applied behavior analysis from McNeese State University. Additionally, he is a doctoral-level board certified behavior analyst and licensed behavior analyst in Michigan.

Dr. Anderson’s research sits at the intersection of behavior analysis, public health, and medicine. He focuses on addiction, mental health, and social determinants of health in marginalized and underserved communities. He has published over 35 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, abstracts, and conference proceedings. In addition to being funded by several federal agencies such as the National Institute of Mental Health and Gilead Sciences, Inc., he also serves in various editorial positions for multiple scientific journals.

Since 2010, Dr. Anderson has collaborated with community members, organizations, and policy makers at local, state, national, and international levels to address socially important issues. His community advocacy blends behavioral principles and community-engaged research to facilitate positive community- and population-level change.

Kaston Anderson Jr. is Gabriel Johnson's mentor.