The Interdisciplinary Sexual Health and HIV Research (INSHHR) group leverages investigator diversity, creativity, experience, and skills across multiple disciplines at the University of Rochester School of Nursing to increase innovation, productivity, and impact in the conduct of research aimed at improving sexual health and HIV-related outcomes with a focus on marginalized and vulnerable populations.
The INSHHR group aims to advance sexual health and HIV science that has an impact on ending the HIV epidemic nationally and globally.
INSHHR News
Natalie Leblanc named National Black Nurses Association’s (NBNA) Nurse Researcher of the Year
Dr. Natalie M. Leblanc, PhD, MPH, RN, BSN, an Assistant Professor and the Harriet J. Kitman’s Dean Endowed Fellow in Health Disparity at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, has been awarded the 2022 National Black Nurses Association’s (NBNA) Nurse Researcher of the Year.
Dr. Leblanc’s research aims to contextualize and improve sexual health and HIV-related outcomes. Read more about Natalie's research
Dr. Leblanc would like to thank Drs. Mary Carey (Director of Clinical Nursing Research Center at UR-SON faculty) and Yvette Conyers (Rochester Black Nurses Association President) for their nominations, and the School of Nursing for their support.
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Lindsay Batek receives the Katharine Donohoe Scholarly Practitioner Award
Lindsay Batek, ND, MS, RN, a fourth-year PhD candidate was awarded the Katharine Donohoe Scholarly Practitioner Award, given to a doctoral student prepared as a nurse practitioner who has undertaken research focused on improving the well-being of the population served. Her research explores sexual and reproductive health care access and use by rural Latina adolescents and young adults in Upstate New York.
Chen Zhang Receives Josephine Craytor Nursing Faculty Endowed Award
Chen Zhang, PhD, MPH, assistant professor, was co-awarded the Josephine Craytor Nursing Faculty Endowed Award. The Josephine Craytor Nursing Faculty Award was established to recognize outstanding nurse educators and provide an annual monetary award to further the professional development and research efforts of exceptional nursing faculty to a deserving recipient. Read more about Zhang's research.
Martez Smith Selected as Brown University CCRT Program Fellow
Martez Smith, LMSW, a PhD student at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, has been selected as a Brown University Clinical and Community-Based HIV/AIDS Research Training (CCRT) Fellow. This educational and mentoring program in clinical and community-based research trains new investigators in HIV research who are from or who conduct practice-oriented research in geographic hotspots of HIV infection. The CCRT Program aims to train the next generation of researchers to end the HIV epidemic and to conduct research related to reducing racial disparities in HIV outcomes. This program is led by Amy Nunn, ScD, with support from many other mentors around the United States.
Smith's research interests include addressing racial, sexual and gender minority health disparities through community-driven, asset-based interventions. For his dissertation, Smith is examining associations between sexual health communication and motivations for sexual health behaviors among Black and Latino men who have sex with men who participate in New York City's House Ball Community, which is supported by the National Institutes of Health (F31MH124585) and the University of Rochester Interdisciplinary Sexual Health and HIV Research (INSHHR) Group.
Muheriwa Selected as JANAC Editorial Intern
Rose Muheriwa, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate for the Interdisciplinary Sexual Health and HIV Research (INSHHR) group, has been selected by the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (JANAC) to serve as a 2022 editorial intern. Muheriwa will participate in a one-year professional development mentoring program with Pamela Kohler, PhD, MPH, RN, a member of the editorial board and a faculty member at the University of Washington. The program is designed to cultivate skills related to writing and editing scholarly manuscripts, and to contribute to the mission and vision of JANAC. Participants gain direct experience in publication ethics, editorial processes, and peer review.
Wharton Named President-Elect of ANAC’s Board of Directors
Mitchell J. Wharton, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, CNS, ACRN, associate dean for equity and inclusion at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, was named president-elect of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) Board of Directors. ANAC’s annual conference in November marks the time of transition for the board of directors. Wharton, who previously served as treasurer of the board, will serve as president-elect until November 2023 and then as president for two years.
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Alcéna-Stiner Co-Investigator on Grant to Combat Vaccine Hesitancy in Adolescents
Rochester researchers received an award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to address vaccine hesitancy and improve health literacy among middle and high school students. The one-year project supplements an existing NIGMS Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA grant) that, since 1998, has supported the Life Sciences Learning Center (LSLC). The LSLC, which is located at the Medical Center, offers outreach programs for Rochester students and community members, and gives them opportunities to participate in hands-on science activities. Since its inception, LSLC has received more than $9 million in funding.
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Wharton Elected Secretary of AACN's DEI Leadership Network
Mitchell J. Wharton, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, CNS, UR School of Nursing’s associate dean for equity and inclusion, has been elected to serve as secretary of a new American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) network focused on diversity issues. AACN’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Network (DEILN) will act as a convening body to explore innovative approaches to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic nursing and the nursing workforce.
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