Key Findings & Policy Impact

Jan Ostermann and Nathan Thielman presenting findings on HIV testing preferences of at-risk populations in Tanzania

We’re pleased to share some of our recent key findings and some of our policy impacts over time.

Key Findings

  • Integrating an evidence based behavioral health screening and referral process (a community informed adaptation of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) into PrEP was found to be both feasible and acceptable to PrEP clients and care providers.
  • A collaborative network model of case management and mental health counseling provided by affirming community located mental health care providers was associated with statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in mental health symptoms among LGBTQIA+ young adults in NC.
  • HIV-related stigma is pervasive in the US Deep South and internalized HIV stigma was associated with poorer HIV-related outcomes,
    including lower levels of medication adherence.
  • The Selah Stress Management Trial is the first to demonstrate that Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction can improve 48-hour heart rate variability – which corresponds to fewer strokes and cardiac events.
  • Through longitudinal occupational health data, four mental health profiles combining mental distress symptoms and positive mental health indicators were identified. These profiles go beyond a focus on distress to expand our understanding of which groups to target for support, newly indicating pathways to prevent depression and sustain positive mental health for optimal life and work engagement.
  • Brief (5-minute) positive emotions interventions tested with families in Coping Together were found to be feasible and not just acceptable, but enjoyable. With their potential to enhance program engagement among parents and children, such brief interventions may have broad behavior change implications.
  • By linking environmental data to a longitudinal cohort of young adults who had been orphaned in childhood, exploratory analyses found that exposure to greenspace may be related to improved psychological wellbeing. This finding highlights the need for additional research as to how the built and natural environments can be leveraged for psychological wellbeing in urban areas of Ethiopia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Policy Impact

  • The Caregiver Wellbeing study, with colleagues from the disciplines of psychiatry, theology, sociology, global health, and psychology, led to policy recommendations to support the wellbeing and long-term staying power of caregivers of orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia, Kenya, India, and Cambodia, and dissemination to large audiences through the Christian Alliance for Orphans.
  • The body of work by Susan Reif’s team has not only brought awareness to the disproportionate incidence and prevalence of HIV in the US South, but also changed the funding emphases of sponsors including Gilead Science’s multiple grant initiatives bringing much-needed support to the South
  • A policy brief was prepared and disseminated for a film-based parenting intervention trial on the Burma-Thailand border.
  • The Teacher Wellbeing study led to policy recommendations to support teacher occupational health and longevity in the low- and high-income countries of Ethiopia, Cambodia, and Qatar.
  • Various policy briefs were disseminated to NC lawmakers educating them on the potential harms of proposed anti-transgender state bills in 2023.
  • The teen pregnancy rate in Craven County experienced a reduction in unwanted pregnancies by over 50% between 2010-2020 – the Duke Teen Health Club was continually funded 2011-2024.