Linda M. Niccolai PhD, ScM

Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases); Director, HPV-IMPACT Project (Emerging Infections Program); Deputy Director, Office International Training (CIRA)

Research Interests

sexually transmitted infections; human papillomavirus vaccine; HIV; epidemiologic methods

Current Projects

• Behavioral and Molecular Epidemiology of Repeat Chlamydia
• HIV risk among Female Sex Workers and their Male Sex Partners in St. Petersburg, Russia
• Integrating Sex and Drug Related HIV Risk and Transmission is St. Petersburg, Russia
• Monitoring Impact of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine in Connecticut
• Identifying and Quantifying Barriers to Uptake of HPV vaccine

Research Summary

Professor Niccolai is an epidemiologist whose research is primarily focused on sexually transmitted infections (STI), including HIV. Her main area of interest is in behavioral aspects of HIV/STI prevention. Specifically, she is interested in studying both individual- and partnership-level determinants of sexual risk behaviors, and population-based patterns of transmission dynamics. Her research includes a focus on the underserved populations of adolescents and women, and includes both domestic and international sites. Currently, Professor Niccolai is involved in several areas of research. One area of research is based in Russia, where she is involved in multiple projects to understand HIV transmission dynamics among injection drug users and commercial sex workers. She is also working with the Connecticut Emerging Infections Program as Project Director of a surveillance program to monitor impact of the human papillomavirus vaccine.

Extensive Research Description

Linda Niccolai is an associate professor in the department of epidemiology of microbial diseases at the Yale School of Public Health. She is deputy director of the Office of International Training for Yale School of Public Health’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS. Her research focuses on sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Dr. Niccolai is the principal investigator of project to monitor vaccine impact for human papillomavirus (funded by CDC) and also PI of an NIH-funded mixed methods study to assess barriers to uptake of HPV vaccine. She also has a research project focused on the potential for HIV transmission among sex workers in Russia.

Linda Niccolai received her Sc.M. at Harvard School of Public Health and her Ph.D. at Tulane University. She is the recipient of Connecticut Infectious Disease Society Thorton Award for Best Poster Presentation in Clinical Research in Infectious Disease and Award for Excellence in Teaching at YSPH.

Selected Publications