Associate Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Heersink School of Medicine
Division of Infectious Diseases and Associate Director for Global Health Research and Partnerships for UAB Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health.
Dr. Mathews works with, mentors, and supports MUST and Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) faculty and trainees to use research methods to improve the health of the people of Uganda and grow the research programs at MUST. She also supports U.S. trainees to conduct high-quality research in Uganda in close collaboration with local investigators. Dr. Mathews focuses on developing and testing interventions to reduce HIV in the context of sexual and reproductive health for men and women in Uganda.
Current and recent research leadership in Mbarara:
Healthy Families Clinical Program – Dr. Mathews is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Healthy Families Clinical Program under Global Health Collaborative implemented at MRRH. This pilot program in the ISS clinic offers men and women living with or partnered with someone living with HIV options to have a child while minimizing HIV transmission. She also served as a PI on the related Healthy Families-PrEP study which evaluate use of PrEP among women planning for and with pregnancy. This study was funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinician Scientist Development Award and dissemination of findings has been conducted during her visit to MUST.
The SHINE Study – Dr. Mathews is the co-Investigator of the current study titled, “SHINE – Exploring Intersectional Stigmas Among Men Living with HIV in Uganda”. Dr. Esther Atukunda is Principal Investigator. The primary objective of this study is to explore experiences of intersectional stigma among Men Living with HIV and their partners who have unmet reproductive goals. This study is funded by the National Institute of Health through the UAB Center for AIDS Research. During her visit to MUST, analysis of phase 1 qualitative data has been done and planning for the phase 2 quantitative research is underway.
Dr. Mathews is a primary research mentor to Dr. Esther Atukunda for her K43 career development award, alongside Prof. Obua. The main grant aims to test an mHealth intervention to support women to access maternal health services in Uganda. She is also a mentor to PI Dr. Pooja Chitneni, in the project titled “the adaptation and validation of an HIV disclosure measurement tool in Uganda”, focused on developing a tool to measure HIV-disclosure among men in Uganda. Dr. Chitneni’s project is funded by the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research.
Succeed We MUST