Harmony Rhoades’ research is focused on health and well-being for underserved populations, in particular sexual and gender minority youth and those who have experienced homelessness and housing instability. Her work examines mental health, suicide prevention, social networks, HIV prevention and sexual health behavior, substance use and misuse, pet ownership, and structural factors that impact health. She is currently a co-Investigator on multiple NIH-funded studies exploring health and well-being among sexual and gender minority youth.

Rhoades has served on the Research Council of the National Alliance to End Homelessness and as an NIH Review Panel Member. She has published more than 90 peer-reviewed academic journal articles, including in Pediatrics, American Journal of Public Health, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, and AIDS and Behavior. She began her career in HIV prevention research as a pre-doctoral trainee in the UCLA Service Systems for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS Research Training Program; received the Mark Etzel Young Investigator Award from the UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services; and served as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Southern California School of Social Work. She was on the research faculty for more than a decade at the USC School of Social Work, where she served as multi-PI, Co-Investigator, or key personnel on numerous NIH-funded research grants, projects funded by other agencies, and innovative pilot studies.