The Global Health Research Lab (GHRL) seeks to engage in collaborative research focused on public health issues centered on health equity and community empowerment. The research in this lab focuses primarily on sexual and reproductive health outcomes in populations in local and global settings. The two primary research aims of the GHRL are to: 1) understand psychosocial, cultural, and structural determinants of HIV and reproductive health outcomes in populations affected by health disparities; 2) develop and test multi-level community-based interventions to improve public health service delivery and health outcomes.

  • A multi-level community-based intervention to increase family planning in rural Uganda
  • A gender-transformative training intervention for HIV providers in Uganda aimed at reducing gender disparities in HIV outcomes
  • A mixed methods study focused on HIV stigma among healthcare providers in the city of San Antonio

UTSA undergraduate and Masters students are encouraged to volunteer with ongoing and upcoming projects. Masters students seeking thesis projects are encouraged to apply. Students may have the opportunity to develop research skills related to: the creation of intervention and other study materials; qualitative and quantitative data management and analysis; programming computer-based data collection tools; conducting literature reviews; assisting in the preparation of reports, presentations, grant proposals, and peer-reviewed scientific journal articles.
Please contact Dr. Sileo for more details.

*denotes student co-author

  • Sileo, K. M., Baldwin, A., Huynh, T. A.,* Olfers, A.,* Woo, C. J., Greene, S. L., Casillas, G. L., & Taylor, S. B. (in press). Assessing LGBTQ+ stigma among healthcare professionals: An application of the health stigma and discrimination framework in a qualitative, community-based participatory research study. Journal of Health Psychology.
  • Baldwin, A., Sileo, K. M., Huynh, T. A.,* Olfers, A.,* Woo, J., & Taylor, S. B. (in press). Applying the health stigma and discrimination framework to examine HIV stigma among healthcare professionals in South Texas: A mixed methods, community-based participatory research study. Journal for the Poor and Underserved.
  • Sileo, K. M., Miller, A. P., Huynh T. A.*, & Kiene, S. M. (2020). A systematic review of interventions for reducing heavy episodic drinking in sub-Saharan African settings. PLOS One, 15(12):e0242678. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242678. eCollection 2020.
  • Sileo, K. M., Anecho, A., Huynh, T. A.,* Rajan, M.,* Mugabe, P., Semei, C., Mukasa, B., Musoke, W., Wanyenze, R. K. Vermund, S. H., Dworkin, S. L., Dovidio, J., Taylor, B. S., & Kershaw, T. S.**The Multi-level Influence of Gender Norms in HIV Care Engagement: A Qualitative Study in Uganda. Roundtable presentation for the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2021 Annual Meeting, 24-27 October, Denver and Online.
  • Sileo, K. M., Muhumuza, C., Helal, T.,* Olfers, A.,* Lule, H., Sekamatte, S., Kershaw, T. S., Wanyenze, R. K., Kiene, S. M. Barriers to Contraceptive Use in the Context of COVID-19: Results from a Qualitative Study in Rural Uganda following COVID-19 lockdown. Oral presentation for the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2020 Annual Meeting, 24-27 October, Denver and Online.
  • Huynh, T. A.,* Olfers, A.,* Baldwin, A., Woo, C. J., Greene, S. L., Casillas, G. L., Taylor, B. S., Sileo, K. M. A Community-Based Participatory Research Project Aimed to Develop HIV and LGBTQ+ Stigma Reduction Guidelines for Healthcare Settings in South Texas. Oral presentation for the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2021 Annual Meeting, 24-27 October, Denver and Online.
  • Olfers, A.* Kiene, S. M., Muhumuza, C., Helal, T.,* Lule, H., Sekamatte, S., Kershaw, T. S., Wanyenze, R. K., Sileo, K. M. The Role of Service Quality and Medical Mistrust in Attitudes towards Governmental Family Planning Services in Uganda: A Qualitative Study. Poster presentation for the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2021 Annual Meeting, 24-27 October, Denver and Online.
  • Teddy Halal,* Christine Muhumuza, Susan M. Kiene, Allison Olfers,* Samuel Sekamatte, Haruna Lule, Trace S. Kershaw, Rhoda K. Wanyenze, Sileo, K. M. Religious and Community Norms Affecting Family Planning Uptake among Men and Women in Rural Uganda: Results from a Qualitative Study. Poster presentation for the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2021 Annual Meeting, 24-27 October, Denver and Online.