Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Liesl Nydegger, PhD, MPH, uses multi-level intervention methods to prevent HIV among communities of color, particularly cisgender women, transgender men and women, and non-binary individuals.
Research Interests
HIV prevention; pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); sexual transmitted infection (STI) prevention; theory-based interventions; sexual health; intimate partner violence; substance misuse; community-based research; cisgender Black women’s health; transgender health; intersectionality; sexual health equity; health disparities; social determinants of health; mixed methods research; qualitative research
Experiences & Accomplishments
Dr. Liesl Nydegger (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She earned her PhD (2015) in health promotion sciences with a concentration in global health and MPH (2011) in health promotion, education, and evaluation from the School of Community and Global Health, Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Nydegger was awarded a 2-year Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional National Research Service Award Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Center for AIDS Intervention Research at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Nydegger was also awarded a Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowship in 2012-2013 at the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in Durban, South Africa.
Dr. Nydegger’s research on sexual health, particularly HIV, gender-based violence, and implementing theory-based interventions, among populations who experience health inequities. Her research program focuses on 3 main areas from a socioecological framework: 1) what intra- and inter-personal factors impact sexual health?, 2) what structural factors impact sexual health?, and 3) how can we develop interventions that address syndemic and structural factors to reduce health disparities and improve sexual health among populations who experience health inequities?
Honors & Awards
Graduate Teaching Award, Department of Kinesiology & Health Education, The University of Texas at Austin, 2022
Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, Gamma Class, Delta Epsilon Chapter, 2018
APHA Women’s Caucus Highest Honorable Mention Abstract Award: Structural factors, syndemics, and sexual health among high-risk among Black women in Milwaukee, WI, 2017
Best Paper Award Clute Institute for Academic Research: Business & Teaching Conference, Las Vegas, NV, 2009
Select Publications
Selected publications from the last 3 years. *Denotes mentored student author.
Nydegger, L.A., Dickson-Gomez, J., & *Ko Ko, T. (2020). Structural and syndemic barriers to PrEP adoption among Black women at high risk for HIV: A qualitative exploration. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 23(5), 659-673. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2020.1720297. PMCID: PMC7529643
Nydegger, L.A., Dickson-Gomez, J., & *Ko Ko, T. (2021). A longitudinal, qualitative exploration of perceived HIV risk, healthcare experiences, and social support as facilitators and barriers to PrEP adoption among Black women. AIDS & Behavior, 25(2), 582-591. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-03015-9. PMCID: PMC7855297
Nydegger, L.A., & Claborn, K.R. (2020). Exploring patterns of substance use among highly vulnerable Black women at-risk for HIV through a syndemic framework: A qualitative study. PLOS ONE, 15(7), e0236247. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236247. PMCID: PMC7386654
Nydegger, L.A., & Hill, M.J. (2020). Examining COVID-19 and HIV: The impact of intersectional stigma on short- and long-term health outcomes among African Americans. International Social Work, 63(5), 655-659. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872820940017.
*McDaniel, G., *Akinwunmi, S., *Brenya, V., Kidane, H., & Nydegger, L.A. (2023). Superwoman Schema: Uncovering repercussions of coping strategies used among Black women at high risk for HIV. Ethnicity & Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2023.2179570