Rebecca Nowak

Dr. Rebecca Nowak is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health. She serves as an Associate Member of the Population Science Program at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research focuses on HIV and high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infections among at-risk populations, with a specific emphasis on preventing HPV-associated cancers in HIV-positive individuals through implementation science.

Education:

• BA in Biology, Bowdoin College (1994)
• MPH in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Columbia University (2004)
• PhD in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University (2010)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Maryland School of Medicine (2013)

Her research interests include molecular epidemiology, immunological control of HPV, and anal cancer prevention in HIV care systems. She has led programs leveraging PEPFAR infrastructure to embed anal cancer screening in Nigeria.

Publication trends highlight her work in HPV/HIV co-infections (2016-2025), microbiome analysis, STI prevalence, and social determinants of HIV risk in Sub-Saharan Africa. She is affiliated with the International Anal Neoplasia Society, Society for Mucosal Immunology, and International Papillomavirus Society.