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Shufang SunView profile

Assistant Professor

• Mindfulness-based interventions
• mHealth (mobile health)
• Global mental health
• +7 more

Dr. Shufang Sun is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University’s School of Public Health, and Associate Director of the Mindfulness Center. Her work focuses on understanding how stress, trauma, and systemic inequities contribute to health disparities, particularly among marginalized populations like LGBTQ+ individuals, youth, and communities affected by HIV. She develops mindfulness-based, technology-mediated interventions to promote mental health and reduce stigma, with a global focus including China, the Philippines, and Ukraine. Education: PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2018). Research interests include mindfulness interventions, mHealth (mobile health), global mental health, HIV prevention, minority stress, and stigma reduction. Her work emphasizes community-engaged research and rigorous evidence synthesis through meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Current projects include interventions for displaced Ukrainians, suicide prevention in rural China, and HIV prevention among transgender women in the Philippines. Her interventions address topics like queer resilience, pandemic mental health, and health equity for vulnerable groups. Awards include the APA’s Barbara Smith Early Career Award and Brown University’s Early Career Research Achievement Award. Grants: Principal investigator on NIH-funded projects totaling over $7.5M, including a $3M R24 grant for mindfulness evidence synthesis and a $621K NIMH grant for school-based suicide prevention in China. Labs/Teams: Director of the Mindfulness for Health Equity Lab, collaborating with global researchers on stigma reduction and digital health innovations.

Lars E. ErikssonView profile

Professor

• Translational Nursing Research
• Biobehavioral Nursing
• Quality of Life
• +9 more

Professor Lars E. Eriksson is a Registered Nurse with a PhD in Nursing and an MSc in Chemistry, currently serving as a part-time Professor in Nursing at the School of Health and Medical Sciences, City St George's, University of London, and as a full Professor in Nursing at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, where he leads the Lars E. Eriksson Research Group. His academic journey began with a UC in Nursing in 1985, followed by over a decade of clinical work in hematology, immunology, and HIV care in Stockholm, before transitioning into research and academia. His research is centered on biobehavioral and translational nursing, particularly focusing on health and quality of life among individuals with chronic conditions such as HIV, cancer, and long-term infections. Key areas include disease-related stigma, symptom research, patient-reported outcomes, and biomarker development. He is Principal Investigator for a lung cancer biomarker project funded by the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish PI for the H2020 Magnet4Europe project on mental health in healthcare workplaces. His recent publications show a strong trend in using mixed methods to explore end-of-life communication, death literacy, sexual and reproductive health after cancer, and stigma in chronic illness. He frequently employs patient-reported outcomes, online focus groups, and web-based interventions, often in collaboration with international partners. His work bridges clinical practice, nursing science, and public health. Scientific Awards and Memberships: British HIV Association (BHIVA) National HIV Nurses Association (NHIVNA) Swedish Society of Nursing Swedish Society of Medicine Swedish Society of Medical Microbiology Lars Eriksson has advised numerous PhD and Master’s students, primarily on topics related to quality of life, stigma, and chronic illness. He teaches postgraduate modules including MSc Dissertation, Advanced Practice Dissertation, and Sexual and Reproductive Health. He is affiliated with the Centre for Health Services Research and the Centre for Public Health Research at City St George's.

• Causal Inference
• Machine Learning
• Global Health
• +4 more

Dr. Laura B. Balzer is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics at the University of California, Berkeley. Her work focuses on causal inference, machine learning, and addressing methodological challenges in both randomized trials and observational studies, particularly in global health contexts. She leads collaborations in East Africa, focusing on HIV elimination and community health in rural regions. Her research emphasizes translating academic findings into real-world impact. Education: PhD in Biostatistics, UC Berkeley (2015) MPhil in Computational Biology, University of Cambridge (2009) BS in Applied Mathematics, University of Vermont (2008) Research Interests: Dr. Balzer’s work addresses causal inference in complex settings, including semi-parametric methods, measurement challenges, and dependence structures. Her global health projects target HIV prevention, tuberculosis transmission, and hypertension management in sub-Saharan Africa. She designs interventions like the SEARCH Dynamic Choice model, which offers flexible HIV prevention options, and evaluates community health worker programs. Publications highlight her contributions to HIV/AIDS research, including studies on PrEP uptake, viral suppression in adolescents, and tuberculosis-HIV co-infection. Methodologically, she advances causal inference frameworks to handle missing data and clustered designs. Awards: While no specific awards are listed, her work has been funded by initiatives like the SEARCH trials, reflecting its scientific and public health significance. Advising & Grants: Balzer collaborates with multidisciplinary teams in Uganda and Kenya, focusing on translational research. Her grants support interventions linking statistical innovation to healthcare delivery improvements in resource-limited settings. Labs/Teams: Her research is embedded within global health partnerships, particularly within the SEARCH trials network, which integrates biostatistics with clinical and community-based implementation.

Kathryn MacapagalView profile

Associate Professor

• Sexual health and behavior
• HIV prevention
• Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
• +7 more

Kathryn Macapagal, PhD is an Associate Professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine with appointments in Medical Social Sciences (Implementation Science), Medical Social Sciences (Intervention Science), and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in health psychology and serving LGBTQ individuals and people living with HIV/AIDS. Her research focuses on translational, social-behavioral and implementation science approaches to improve the health and wellbeing of sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents and young adults. She employs online, technology-based, and community-engaged research methods to understand sexual health and HIV prevention needs of SGM adolescents, developing digital behavioral health interventions to address these needs. Dr. Macapagal's work includes examining awareness and use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among SGM adolescents, exploring use of online spaces for sexual development, and developing text-message interventions to improve HIV testing access. Her research portfolio demonstrates strong trends toward implementation science, digital health interventions for HIV prevention, and addressing health disparities among marginalized youth populations through innovative technological approaches. She serves on several professional leadership roles including as Chair of the Health Equity Special Interest Group for the Society for Digital Mental Health (2023-present) and as a Member of the University of Minnesota Institute for Sex and Gender Health Annual Survey Advisory Council (2022-present). She previously served as Associate Editor for Archives of Sexual Behavior (2020-2023) and on the Medical Advisory Board for Flo Health (2019-2022). Dr. Macapagal leads active clinical trials including a text messaging program designed to increase sexual health information and behavioral skills for LGBTQ+ teens (IRB number STU00217358). She is affiliated with the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM) and the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS).

• HIV Prevention and Treatment
• Substance Use Disorder
• Addiction Medicine
• +5 more

E. Jennifer Edelman, MD, MHS is a Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine) at Yale School of Medicine and an Associate Professor on Term in Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale School of Public Health. She serves as an HIV provider at the Yale-New Haven Hospital Nathan Smith HIV Clinic and is the physician consultant in the Addiction Medicine Treatment Program. Dr. Edelman is certified as an internist, HIV specialist, and in Addiction Medicine, and holds multiple appointments across Yale's medical and public health institutions. Professor of Medicine, General Internal Medicine (Primary) Associate Professor on Term, Social and Behavioral Sciences (Secondary) Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program AIDS Care Program Internal Medicine Program in Addiction Medicine Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (co-Director of Education) Yale-Drug use, Addiction, and HIV prevention Research Scholars (DAHRS) Dr. Edelman's research focuses on optimizing HIV prevention and treatment in the context of substance use, including opioid, alcohol, and tobacco use. Applying a range of methodologies, she leads and collaborates on NIH-funded projects to evaluate novel and implement evidence-based addiction treatment in medical settings, especially HIV treatment settings. Her work has focused on understanding harms associated with opioid use among people with HIV and promoting HIV prevention, including use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). She collaborates extensively with community-based and public health partners to advance these goals. Analysis of her recent publications (2024-2025) reveals a strong emphasis on integrated care models addressing substance use disorders within HIV treatment settings. Her research spans multiple methodologies including randomized controlled trials, implementation science, qualitative studies, and epidemiological analyses. Key themes include contingency management for alcohol use disorder among people with HIV, PrEP implementation among high-risk populations, and interventions for tobacco cessation in HIV clinics. Her work demonstrates a consistent focus on addressing health disparities and improving outcomes for vulnerable populations. Dr. Robert A. Savitt & Dr. George D. McCormack Award (2022) Lipkin Award Finalist, Society of General Internal Medicine National Annual Meeting (2021) Lipkin Award Finalist, Society of General Internal Medicine National Annual Meeting (2019) Veterans Affairs Locally-Initiated Project Funding Award New England Society of General Internal Medicine Award for Excellence in Clinical Investigation Society of General Internal Medicine Lawrence Linn Award Dr. Edelman actively mentors trainees including post-doctoral fellows and public health students, and serves as Associate Director of the Research on Addiction Medicine Scholars (RAMS) Program. She regularly serves on NIH grant review committees and is Associate Editor of Addiction Science and Clinical Practice. Her current research includes the EXHIT ENTRE trial (Exemplar Hospital Initiation Trial to Enhance Treatment Engagement), which focuses on addressing untreated alcohol use disorder in hospital settings. She has received substantial grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and National Cancer Institute to support her work in addiction medicine and HIV care.

Amy K JohnsonView profile

Associate Professor

• Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• HIV Prevention
• +3 more

Amy K Johnson, PhD, serves as Associate Professor in Pediatrics (Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine) at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, with clinical affiliation at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. She holds key roles in the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM) - Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science, Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS), and Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health (IGH). Dr. Johnson earned her PhD from the University of Illinois, Chicago in 2016. Her research centers on adolescent sexual and reproductive health with dual emphases on HIV/STI intervention implementation and ethical dimensions of community participation in cure research. She develops prevention packages targeting adolescents—particularly young women—and addresses surveillance gaps in sexually transmitted diseases through implementation science frameworks. Analysis of her 2024-2025 publications reveals a dominant focus on PrEP implementation across diverse populations and geographies. Her work consistently addresses health disparities through mixed-methods approaches, examining structural barriers among Black women in Chicago, migrant communities in France, and youth in Nigeria. Common threads include innovative delivery strategies (text messaging, peer navigation), cultural adaptation of interventions, and ethical considerations in community engagement—demonstrating her commitment to translating research into equitable prevention solutions. Her scientific contributions have been recognized with the Excellence in Scholarship award from Lurie Children's Hospital (2023) and Best Poster Award from the American Sexually Transmitted Disease Association (2016). Excellence in Scholarship, Lurie Children's Hospital (2023) Best Poster Award, American Sexually Transmitted Disease Association (2016) Dr. Johnson actively shapes public health practice through leadership in the Illinois PrEP Working Group, Getting to Zero Illinois, and as Vice Chair of Epidemiology for the Illinois Public Health Association. Her editorial role at Frontiers in Reproductive Health and memberships in the American College of Epidemiology and American Public Health Association reflect her influence in advancing methodological rigor and equity-focused HIV prevention science. Current projects like iCARE Nigeria and POWER Up demonstrate her commitment to scalable interventions addressing the HIV care continuum.

Grethe MyklebustView profile

Professor

• Sports Injury Prevention
• ACL Injuries
• Shoulder Injuries
• +5 more

Grethe Myklebust is a Professor at the Department of Sports Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, where she serves as Program Coordinator for the Master in Sports Physiotherapy and teaches courses including Injury Prevention and Clinical Sports Physiotherapy. She holds a PhD (2003) focused on ACL injury prevention in handball and has 20+ years of experience as a physiotherapist for national teams in handball, football, and beach volleyball, including Olympic health teams in Seoul and Sydney. Her research centers on sports injury mechanisms, risk factors, and prevention strategies—particularly for shoulder, knee, and ankle injuries in handball and football. She investigates how to disseminate prevention knowledge to athletes, coaches, and parents, with projects like Prep to be PRO and Safeplay targeting youth athlete development. Her work emphasizes neuromuscular training, injury epidemiology, and implementation science in sports contexts. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2021–2025) reveals dominant themes: ACL injury rehabilitation/return-to-sport decisions (6 studies), youth athlete injury prevention (5 studies), sport-specific biomechanical risks (3 studies), and translational research frameworks (1 study). Her cohort studies and RCTs consistently address gender differences, training load effects, and barriers to implementing prevention programs. She leads multiple projects including Injury Prevention in Youth Sports and collaborates with the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre (OSTRC), focusing on practical interventions for athlete resilience. As a board member of the Sports Physiotherapy group (FIA) and former IHF Medical Commission member, she bridges clinical practice with academic research.

• Causal inference
• Machine learning
• Cluster randomized trials
• +7 more

Laura Balzer, PhD, MPhil is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics at the University of California, Berkeley . Her research focuses on methodological and applied work in causal inference , machine learning , and messy real-world data , particularly in the context of HIV prevention and global health in East Africa. PhD – Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley (2015) MPhil – Computational Biology, University of Cambridge (2009) BS – Applied Mathematics, University of Vermont (2008) Dr. Balzer specializes in the design and analysis of cluster randomized and pragmatic trials , addressing challenges like differential measurement , complex dependence , and missing data . Her work integrates epidemiologic methods with machine learning to enhance rigor in real-world studies. Recent publications emphasize community-based HIV interventions , dynamic choice models , and causal inference frameworks for global health applications in Kenya and Uganda. Her methodological contributions include Two-Stage TMLE for handling sub-sampling and non-independent units , while applied studies examine HIV-tuberculosis interactions , hypertension care models , and social network effects on health outcomes. Dr. Balzer’s role as a Primary Statistician for East African studies underscores her commitment to translating academic advances into public health impact .

Marla KellerView profile

Professor

• HIV Prevention in Women
• Vaginal Microbicides
• Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
• +4 more

Dr. Marla Keller is a tenured Professor of Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, currently serving as Executive Dean and holder of the Jacob and Jeanne Barkey Chair in Medicine. Director, NIH-funded Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research Interim Senior Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research Vice Chair of Research for Department of Medicine Dr. Keller's research focuses on: Biomedical HIV prevention strategies Vaginal microbicide development PrEP implementation in women Cervical cancer screening in HIV+ women Immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 clinical trials Her recent publications emphasize: HPV infection and cervical precancer Vaginal microbiome interactions PrEP delivery systems HIV/HSV coinfection dynamics Convalescent plasma therapy Metronidazole treatment response Key scientific awards include: Infectious Disease Mentoring Award (2013) COVID-19 Distinguished Service Award (2021) Spirit of Achievement Changemaker Award (2023) New York Super Doctor (2011-2015)

Richard LesterView profile

Associate Professor

• Digital health
• Mobile health (mHealth)
• Precision Public Health
• +3 more

Dr. Richard Lester is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia , affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and the Division of Infectious Diseases . He leads the UBC mHealth Research Group, focusing on mobile health (mHealth) interventions for infectious diseases, precision public health, and patient-centered care across Canada, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and the USA. Director, Infectious Disease Research Director, Neglected Global Diseases Initiative Consultant, BC Centre for Disease Control His research spans HIV/TB care, global health equity, and AI applications in conversational health data. He has conducted landmark trials like WelTel Kenya1 and Tushirikiane-4-MH , with publications in Lancet and other top journals. He collaborates with international bodies like WHO and PEPFAR. Notable Achievements : Grand Challenges Canada phase I & II awards CIHR Foundation Scheme recipient Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar

• HIV/AIDS
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health
• +3 more

Quarraisha Abdool Karim, PhD, is a Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and holds a joint appointment in Public Health at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is the Associate Scientific Director of CAPRISA and a visiting scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Visiting Lecturer at Harvard University. Her research focuses on HIV/AIDS epidemiology, particularly in South African adolescent populations, and includes landmark studies like the CAPRISA 004 tenofovir gel trial (2010), recognized as a Top 10 scientific breakthrough by Science . Education: BS, University of Durban-Westville (1981) MS, Columbia University (1988) Research Interests: Reducing HIV transmission in young women Antiretroviral therapy implementation in resource-limited settings Global health capacity building through programs like the Columbia University Southern African Fogarty AITRP Awards: John Dirks-Canada Gairdner Award in Global Health L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Laureate for Africa and the Middle East Order of Mapungubwe (Bronze) Leadership Roles: Chair, South African National AIDS Council Prevention Technical Task Team Member, UNAIDS Scientific Expert Panel Vice-President, African Academy of Sciences Key Projects: CAPRISA 007 RHIVA trial addressing HIV prevention in rural KwaZulu-Natal WHO Solidarity Trial evaluating antiviral drugs for COVID-19

Ragan N. JohnsonView profile

Assistant Professor

• Sexual Health Promotion
• Health Disparities
• Nursing Education
• +5 more

Ragan N. Johnson, DNP, MSN, APRN-BC, is an Assistant Professor at Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON), where she has served since July 1, 2017. Her roles include supporting DUSON's VA Nursing Academic Partnerships in Graduate Education Program, developing veteran-centric curricula for the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Master’s program, and collaborating on a VA residency program for newly certified NPs. She belongs to Division 2, Healthcare in Adult Populations. Education: Doctor of Nursing Practice (Public Health Nursing emphasis), University of Tennessee Health Science Center MSN (Family Nurse Practitioner), University of Tennessee Health Science Center BSN, Tennessee State University Research Interests: Dr. Johnson focuses on sexual health promotion for youth/young adults, health disparities, and HIV prevention. Her work includes community-partnered interventions, such as salon-based PrEP education for Black women, and addressing racial discrimination in healthcare. She founded the nonprofit Imagine Me to advance sexual health education for marginalized populations. Scientific Contributions: Her recent publications (2023–2025) emphasize HIV prevention strategies like PrEP, weight bias reduction in reproductive care, adaptive leadership frameworks, and community-engaged interventions leveraging social networks (e.g., beauty salons) to improve health equity for Black women in the U.S. South.

Raquel Farmer-HintonView profile

Professor

• Urban Education
• Educational Equity
• Racialized Policies
• +3 more

Dr. Raquel Farmer-Hinton is a Professor and Director of the Alternative Education Certificate Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) in the Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies. Her work focuses on urban education equity, racialized policies, and systemic barriers faced by Black and Brown students. She employs both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine college access, social capital, and policy impacts. Education: She holds a BS in Psychology and MS/PhD in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior roles include postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Chicago and Educational Testing Service (ETS). Research Interests: Dr. Farmer-Hinton’s scholarship challenges entrenched educational inequities through frameworks like Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth. Key areas include college-going cultures in urban schools, promise scholarship efficacy, and counter-narratives of success in marginalized communities. Her work often critiques historical and contemporary policies that perpetuate stratification. Grants & Awards: She has secured funding from AERA, ETS, UWM, and the UW Institute on Race and Ethnicity. Her grants focus on policy evaluation and community-engaged research. Service: She coordinated UWM’s Alternative Education Program, served on the UChicago Consortium Steering Committee (including Co-Chair), and joined the UW OPID Advisory Council (2025-2027). Teaching spans graduate/undergraduate courses in education sociology, research methods, and cultural foundations. Labs/Teams: Her work is collaborative, often involving interdisciplinary teams like the East St. Louis Scholars collective (Patton, Rivers, Lewis) producing critical re-examinations of educational inequity literature.

Sean ArayasirikulView profile

Associate Professor

• Medical Sociology
• Public Health
• Health Disparities
• +6 more

Dr. Sean Arayasirikul (they/them) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health, Society, and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Program in Public Health. They serve as Associate Director of the UCI-affiliated University of California Global Health Initiative Center for Gender and Health Justice and hold leadership roles in the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Program. Doctorate in Sociology, University of California, San Francisco B.A. in Asian American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles Their research examines health inequities among sexual and gender minoritized (SGM) communities through community-engaged methodologies, with a focus on: Health disparities among trans women, BIPOC, and intersectionally marginalized groups Digital health interventions and implementation science Participatory surveillance approaches for health justice Recent publications emphasize digital HIV care navigation tools, structural barriers to STI/HIV prevention, and intersectional analyses of mental health risks. They have secured grants for structural racism studies and developed homegrown interventions within the House and Ballroom community. Scientific Awards Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Fellow (2021-2024) Inter-CFAR Implementation Science Fellow (2020-2021) AMA Minority Fellow (Cohort 38) NIAAA T32 Pre-Doctoral Fellow NIH Loan Repayment Program Awardee (2018-2021, 2022-2023) Dr. Arayasirikul's applied experience includes public health work with HIV-positive youth, STI testing programs, and federal-level health literacy initiatives. They advocate for data democratization and community-driven solutions to address systemic inequities.

Hannah LeslieView profile

Assistant Professor

• Health Systems Research
• Epidemiology
• Health Care Quality Measurement
• +5 more

Hannah Leslie serves as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Prevention Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), focusing on health systems research to improve care for marginalized populations globally. Her work spans HIV quality measurement, non-communicable disease management, and pandemic-responsive health service delivery across Latin America and South Africa. Education: PhD in Epidemiology, University of California, Berkeley Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Systems, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Dr. Leslie develops innovative methodologies for health care quality assessment and identifies scalable health system interventions targeting inequities. Her research examines hypertension management, maternal-child health, HIV prevention (PrEP), and housing instability impacts on mental health, emphasizing context-specific solutions in resource-limited settings. She employs mixed-methods approaches including large-scale facility surveys, implementation science frameworks, and community-engaged co-creation processes. Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal consistent focus on health system measurement in Latin America and South Africa, with emerging themes around digital health solutions, post-pandemic recovery, and multi-level barriers to equitable care. Her work bridges epidemiological rigor with practical health policy applications, particularly through the QuEST LAC network for evidence-based policy in Latin America. Scientific Awards: CFAR Mentored Scientist Award (2021) for "Identifying clinic factors that shape population health outcomes in times of crisis" Dr. Leslie actively mentors through UCSF's CFAR program and collaborates with international networks including the QuEST LAC initiative. Her research is supported by competitive awards focusing on health systems strengthening during crises, with current projects examining hypertension management in Peru, PrEP delivery in South Africa, and digital interventions for breast cancer care in Mexico. Affiliated with UCSF's Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), she leads cross-national collaborations in Mexico, Peru, South Africa, and Nepal. Her work integrates health systems analysis with community engagement, particularly through the People's Voice Survey initiative measuring patient perspectives on care quality across Latin America.