Yale University

Jessica Jaiswal, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Roles:
  • Assistant Professor, The University of Alabama
  • Fellow, Research Education Institute for Diverse Scholars (REIDS)
Contact:

Biography:

Dr. Jessica Jaiswal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Science at The University of Alabama and a Visiting Scholar at Yale University in the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS. She earned her PhD in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York, her MPH in Behavioral Science and Health Education from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, and her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in Women’s Studies, Native American Studies and Latin American Studies.

Dr. Jaiswal's two main research areas focus on HIV-related inequalities along the HIV prevention and HIV care continua and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders. Her current work on HIV prevention efforts in methadone clinic settings is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This qualitative pilot study examines the acceptability and feasibility of offering pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in methadone clinic settings. PrEP is a daily pill that HIV negative people can take that is extremely effective in preventing HIV acquisition from sexual and drug using partners. Although approved by the FDA in 2012, PrEP uptake is low among the communities most in need of HIV prevention. The purpose of this study is to understand methadone clinic staff and patients’ HIV and PrEP-related attitudes, perceptions and beliefs. For more information about Dr. Jaiswal's current and recent research, please visit the Research tab at the top of this page.

Dr. Jaiswal serves as a senior associate editor for the Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health Journal and as an associate editor for Behavioral Medicine. Her research has been published in AIDS and Behavior, Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, Culture, Health and Sexuality, Behavioral Medicine, Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, and the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.

Prior to joining the faculty at UA, Dr. Jaiswal completed postdoctoral training at New York University in the College of Global Public Health as a Provost Fellow, and was a Research Fellow in the Behavioral Science Training Program in Substance Use, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).