Sarahmona Przybyla

Sarahmona Przybyla, PhD, MPH, serves as Assistant Dean and Director of Undergraduate Public Health Programs while holding a Clinical Associate Professor position in the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior at the University at Buffalo's School of Public Health and Health Professions. Her dual administrative-academic role centers on developing undergraduate public health curricula and student success initiatives within Western New York's academic healthcare ecosystem.

Her academic foundation includes a PhD and MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education with an Interdisciplinary Certificate in Health Disparities from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, complemented by a BA in Health and Society from the University of Rochester. Professional development encompasses an NIH predoctoral fellowship in HIV/STD prevention at UNC Chapel Hill and a postdoctoral fellowship in alcohol etiology and treatment at UB's Research Institute on Addictions.

Dr. Przybyla's research program investigates HIV/STI prevention through the intersecting lenses of substance use impacts on sexual risk behavior and medication adherence, nonmedical prescription drug use, and patient-provider communication dynamics. Employing mixed-methods and community-based participatory approaches, her work addresses structural determinants of health with emphasis on vulnerable populations including people living with HIV, substance users, and sexual minorities. Recent projects examine alcohol-marijuana interactions with ART adherence and Hepatitis C treatment motivation among emergency department patients.

Analysis of her 2022-2025 publications reveals three dominant research trajectories: (1) PrEP education gaps among healthcare trainees with focus on injectable formulations, (2) food insecurity's causal pathways in HIV care disruption, and (3) racial disparities in prevention uptake among MSM subpopulations. Her educational scholarship concurrently addresses public health workforce development through disability-inclusive curriculum design and undergraduate program retention strategies.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• NIH predoctoral fellowship in HIV/STD prevention
• Postdoctoral fellowship in alcohol etiology and treatment

As Principal Investigator, she leads an NIH-funded study on substance use and ART adherence among HIV-positive adults while serving as Co-Investigator on Hepatitis C treatment motivation research. Though specific advisees aren't documented, her leadership of undergraduate public health programs indicates extensive mentorship of future public health practitioners through capstone courses and high-impact educational practices.

Her community-engaged research operates through partnerships with New York State health departments, Western New York healthcare providers, and social service agencies implementing interventions that bridge clinical care, harm reduction services, and structural advocacy for health equity.