Kaston Anderson Jr.

Dr. Kaston Anderson Jr. (he/him/his) is an award-winning scholar, teacher, and community advocate. He is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University. He earned his Ph.D. in behavioral psychology specializing in community health and development from The University of Kansas; he then completed his postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA in Addiction Health Services Research. Dr. Anderson also holds a master’s degree in public health from the KU Medical Center and a second master’s degree in experimental psychology and applied behavior analysis from McNeese State University. Additionally, he is a licensed and Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral.

Dr. Anderson's research sits at the intersection of behavior analysis and public health. He focuses on addiction and social determinants of health in historically oppressed, marginalized, underserved, and disempowered communities. He has published over 35 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, abstracts, and conference proceedings. He is funded by several federal agencies and often serves as subject matter expert for numerous funding agencies. Furthermore, he 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, and national levels to address socially important issues. His community advocacy blends behavior-analytic principles and community-engaged action to facilitate positive community- and population-level change.