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About the lab BSGH LabBSGH Logo

The Behavioral, Sexual & Global Health (BSGH) Lab conducts implementation science research to understand how stigma, behavioral exposures, and place-based factors influence access to prevention and treatment services for populations with high exposure to adverse behavioral health outcomes. The lab’s work spans Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe, and the United States and emphasizes community-partnered approaches to develop, adapt, and evaluate interventions across diverse health systems and sociocultural contexts.

Our diverse team of investigators and community members work collaboratively to identify intervention priorities and adapt evidence-based strategies to reduce stigma, address behavioral and structural barriers, and improve health outcomes among populations with high exposure to adverse behavioral health conditions. This transdisciplinary team is engaged throughout all stages of the research process, from conceptualization and grant development to implementation, data analysis, and dissemination—ensuring that interventions are grounded in the lived realities of the populations served.

  • Assess stigma, behavioral exposures (e.g., substance use, transactional behavior, inconsistent prevention practices), and place-based conditions (e.g., limited-service infrastructure, social and economic barriers) that influence behavioral and health outcomes among groups with increased exposure to adverse conditions.
  • Develop and adapt evidence-based interventions to address behavioral and environmental barriers and improve prevention and treatment outcomes at both the community and service delivery levels.
  • Disseminate findings to:
    • Enhance understanding of how behavioral exposures, stigma, and service access barriers impact prevention, treatment, and care engagement.
    • Support behavior change and increase uptake of prevention tools, reduced harmful behavior, and improved adherence to treatment regimens.
  • Strengthen research capacity through mentorship and collaboration with graduate students, early-career researchers, and partners working on behavioral, health systems, and global implementation challenges.

  • Collaboration. We prioritize partnership with researchers, community members, and service organizations to co-design and implement solutions that address shared public health challenges.
  • Responsiveness and Care. We strive to improve access to quality services through approaches grounded in empathy, respect, and an understanding of the social and environmental factors that shape health outcomes.
  • Integrity and Innovation. We conduct research with professionalism, transparency, and ethical rigor, while embracing innovative methods and technologies to improve prevention and care systems.
  • Impact. We are committed to advancing research that produces practical, sustainable improvements in health outcomes and service delivery—locally and globally.

  • Behavioral Health and Care Engagement
    • Substance use and behavior change interventions
    • Health service uptake and treatment adherence related to HIV and other sexually transmitted conditions
    • Behavior-driven strategies to improve prevention and treatment outcomes
  •  Structural and Contextual Determinants
    • Stigma and its intersection with service access, behavior, and care environments
    • Neighborhood context, spatial inequities, and place-based barriers to care
    • Strategies to reach individuals underserved by formal health systems
  • Global and Geographic Dynamics
    • Health service delivery in transnational and mobile populations
    • Implementation in resource-constrained and cross-border settings
    • Adaptation of interventions across diverse sociopolitical and geographic contexts
  • Methodological Approaches
    • Implementation science frameworks for real-world intervention testing
    • Community-based and participatory intervention design
    • Clinical trials and mixed-method evaluations of health interventions

News & Updates

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Gamji Rabiu Abu-Ba'are
Abu-Ba’are Leads $2.3M Study on Improving HIV Prevention, Care in Ghana

Dec 18, 2023

Italy RiFESH project launch
Refugee Initiative for Enhancing Sexual Health Launches in Italy

Oct 20, 2023

Aerial photo of Accra, Ghana
NIH Fogarty-Funded Study Seeks to Boost HIV Self-Testing, Reduce Stigma for Men in Ghana

Sep 7, 2023

Gamji Rabiu Abu-Ba’are, PhD

Gamji Rabiu Abu-Ba’are, PhD

Principal Investigator and Director
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing & Department of Public Health Sciences
Inaugural Harriet J. Kitzman Endowed Fellow in Global Health Research
Affiliate, Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University School of Public Health

Gamji Rabiu Abu-Ba’are is an assistant professor in nursing and public health and the inaugural Harriet J. Kitzman Endowed Fellow in Global Health Research at the University of Rochester. He is the principal investigator of the Behavioral, Sexual, and Global Health Lab that operates out of the University of Rochester School of Nursing, and Jama’a Action in Accra, Ghana. As a global health and behavioral scientist, urban planner, and health geographer, Abu-Ba’are seeks to better understand the role of place and intersectional stigma on HIV and sexual health outcomes. His research develops and refines interventions to reduce intersectional stigma and optimize outcomes among HIV high-risk populations in socially-vulnerable communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe, and the United States.

“We hope that by training young sexual minority people in slums, we can improve their expertise around HIV, so they know what the risk behaviors are, and they will be able to assess themselves and know what options for prevention are best for them."

Gamji Rabiu Abu-Ba’are, PhD

Connect With Us

The BSGH Lab welcomes new collaborations and opportunities for shared discovery and knowledge. Members of the BSGH lab, led by Principal Investigator Gamji Rabiu Abu-Ba’are, PhD, MA, are available for collaboration and support on related projects, including research design, recruitment, data collection, transcriptions, coding, statistical analysis, and Geographic Information System-based analysis.

Address: 
601 Elmwood Avenue, Box SON 
Rochester, NY 14642

Phone:
(585) 275-5844

Email Gamji

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