Bethany K.W. Rainisch, PhD, MPH is the Chair of the Health Sciences Department at Cal State University, Northridge (CSUN) located in Los Angeles County. She is a Professor who teaches in the undergraduate and graduate public health programs at CSUN. Prior to her current role, she served as the Director of the Public Health Program and currently sits on numerous department and university committees .
She is the principal investigator of her third SAMHSA-funded multi-year grant known as MATAspire: Mental health Awareness Tailored App for Substance Prevention and Integrated Resilience Education for students on campus. Prior to this project, she implemented iSTART: a campus initiative for TecHealth and Rapid Testing. In partnership with Tarzana Treatment Centers, iSTART developed an innovative web-app that provides substance use prevention education across five interactive modules; and offered rapid HIV/Hep-C testing to all students on campus.
Her research interests are in substance use and biodemography, with a focus on adolescent stress and health. She is currently a member of the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the Population Association of America (PAA). Dr. Rainisch earned her Bachelor's degree in Molecular Cell Biology from University of California Berkeley, her master's in Public Health from Emory University, and her doctorate in Public Health from University of California Los Angeles.