Phone: (585) 276-7278
Office: HWH 2W221
Email: Danielle Alcena-Stiner

Danielle Alcena-Stiner, PhD, RN

Assistant Professor
Faculty, Environmental Health Sciences Center, URMC
Affiliate Faculty, Life Sciences Learning Center

Education

Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 2018. University of Rochester, School of Nursing. Rochester, NY
Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology, 2012. University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry. Rochester, NY
Master of Science in Microbiology and Immunology, 2009. University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry. Rochester, NY
Bachelor of Science in Biology, 2004. Voorhees College. Denmark, SC

Bio

As a nurse-scientist with expertise spanning the translational continuum from biomedical science to community-based research, Danielle Alcéna-Stiner integrates basic science, health literacy, and nursing into interventions to promote adolescent health and wellness through active community engagement.

During Alcéna-Stiner’s community engagements, she found that access to information alone cannot reduce health disparities among communities made vulnerable as a result of what Alcéna-Stiner has coined, systemic ableism, racism, classism, and sexism (ARCS), which in turn pose as barriers to health promotion and wellness. To address health disparities related to health literacy, she implements an interdisciplinary approach to connect all stakeholders. This includes collaborations with adolescents and adults who are influential in health literacy education (students, teachers, nurses, etc.).

Current Focus

I am actively engaged in collaborations with faculty to foster interdisciplinary community-partnerships throughout the School of Nursing and the broader UR community. These partnerships serve to adapt evidence-based assessment tools to identify areas of bio-behavioral health literacy needs in marginalized communities using the Assessment, Decision, Adaptation, Production, Topical Experts, Integration, Training, Testing (ADAPT-ITT) implementation science framework and Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles.

My program of research promotes equity by focusing on addressing health disparities related to infectious disease health literacy and seeks to implement interventions informed by adolescent populations from communities made vulnerable by ARCS. My interdisciplinary research projects utilize implementation science and ecological frameworks among adolescent populations to:

adapt evidence-based assessment tools of bio-behavioral health literacy needs;
develop new methodologies for community engagement for bio-behavioral health literacy using evidence-based frameworks; and
develop and evaluate informed bio-behavioral interventions to address health literacy gaps related to health promotion and wellness.

Muheriwa-Matemba, S.R., Alcena-Stiner, D.C., Glazier, A., & LeBlanc, N.M. (2024). Telehealth use for sexual and reproductive health promotion and care during the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic: A descriptive-interpretive qualitative study of healthcare providers’ perspectives and experiences in Western - Central New York State. . DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.02.24306759

Batek, L.M., Leblanc, N.M., Alio, A.P., Stein, K.F., & McMahon, J.M. (2024). Facilitators and barriers to contraception access and use for Hispanic American adolescent women: An integrative literature review. medRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.10.24305616

Leblanc, N.M., Muheriwa-Matemba, S.R., St. Vil, N., Alcena-Stiner, D., Bond, K.T., Glazier, A., Rosario-McCabe, L., Lambert, F., & Smith. M. (2024). Couple-Centered HIV Prevention and Care: Endorsement, Practice and Uncertainty among US Healthcare Providers in Western-Central Upstate New York. medRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.08.24302510

Akbas, S., Alcéna-Stiner, D.C., & McMahon, J.M. (2023). Psychosocial risk factors of erectile dysfunction among heterosexual men living with HIV. AIDS Care. PMID: 35135404 PMCID: PMC9357855 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2022.2039357

Zhang C., McMahon J., Leblanc N., Braksmajer A., Crean H.F., & Alcena-Stiner D. (2020). Association of medical mistrust and poor communication with HIV-related health outcomes and psychosocial wellbeing among heterosexual men living with HIV. AIDS Patient Care and STDs. PMID: 31755736 PMCID: PMC6983731 DOI: 10.1089/apc.2019.0200

Alcena-Stiner, D.C., & Markowitz, D.G. (2020). The Life Sciences Learning Center: An Evolving Model for a Sustainable STEM Outreach Program.. Journal of STEM Outreach. PMID: 32864585 PMCID: PMC7455033 DOI: 10.15695/jstem/v3i2.08

Opara, I., Chandler, C.J., Alcena-Stiner, D.C., Nnawulezi, N.A. & Kershaw, T.S. (2020). When Pandemics Call: Community-Based Research Considerations for HIV Scholars. AIDS and Behavior. PMID: 32333205 PMCID: PMC7180680 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-020-02878-2

Alcena-Stiner, D., Holt, S., Montes, G., & Markowitz, D. (2020). Medicines and Me: Hands-On Health Literacy Lessons for Adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.11.139

Alcena, D.C. (2014). Role of Autoreactivity in the Neutralization of HIV-1 Infection. University of Rochester.

Alcena, D.C., Kobie, J.J., Kaminski, D.A., Rosenberg, A.F., Mattiacio, J.L., Brewer, M., Dewhurst, S., Dykes, C., Jin, X., Keefer, M.C., & Sanz, I. (2013). 9G4+ antibodies isolated from HIV-infected patients neutralize HIV-1 and have distinct autoreactivity profiles. PLoS One. PMID: 24386452 PMCID: PMC3873436 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085098

Kobie, J.J., Alcena, D.C., Zheng, B., Bryk, P., Mattiacio, J.L., Brewer, M., Labranche, C., Young, F.M., Dewhurst, S., Montefiori, D.C., Rosenburg, A.F., Feng, C., Jin, X., Keefer, M.C., & Sanz, I. (2012). 9G4 autoreactivity is increased in HIV-infected patients and correlates with HIV broadly neutralizing serum activity. PLoS One. PMID: 22530008 PMCID: PMC3329433 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035356

Rodrigo, W.W., Alcena, D.C., Kou, Z., Kochel, T.J., Porter, K.R., Comach, G., Rose, R.C., Jin, X., & Schlesinger, J.J. (2009). Difference between the abilities of human Fcy receptor-expressing CV-1 cells to neutralize American and Asian genotypes of dengue virus 2. Clin Vaccine Immunol. PMID: 19038781 PMCID: PMC2643537 DOI: 10.1128/CVI.00363-08

Rodrigo, W.W., Alcena, D.C., Rose, R.C., Jin, X., & Schlesinger, J.J. (2009). An automated Dengue virus microneutralization plaque assay performed in human Fc (gamma) receptor-expressing CV-1 cells. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. PMID: 19141841 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2009.80.61