Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct faculty typically have an academic or research appointment at another institution and contribute or collaborate with one or more School of Medicine faculty members or programs.
Adjunct rank detailsRoman Shrestha, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor AdjunctDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Assistant Professor Adjunct
Biography
Dr. Shrestha is an Assistant Professor Adjunct at the Yale School of Medicine’s AIDS program. He is the Principal Investigator on the National Institute of Health funded K01 (NIDA: K01DA051346), R21 (NIDA: R21DA051934), and R21/R33 (FIC: R21TW011665) awards. His research has largely centered on enhancing the design, delivery, and placement of interventions that integrates evidence-based behavioral approach, biomedical components, and innovative use of mHealth strategies, aimed at improving health outcomes and the quality of life of underserved populations. Specifically, he is interested in syndemics of health issues that have profound implications for access to and utilization of healthcare services and overall HIV prevention efforts in a range of settings, including community and healthcare, addiction treatment, and criminal justice settings, both domestically and internationally. His current work focuses on reducing the HIV epidemic that disproportionately affects socioeconomically disadvantaged (i.e., drug users) and sexual minority group (i.e., men who have sex with men) using mHealth technologies as an innovative platform to scale-up prevention efforts.
Last Updated on April 19, 2025.
Appointments
Infectious Diseases
Assistant Professor AdjunctPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Clinical & Community Research (YCCR)
- Infectious Diseases
- Internal Medicine
- mHealth Research and Innovation Lab
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Research Associate
- University of Connecticut (2019)
- PhD
- University of Connecticut, Public Health (2017)
- MPH
- University of Connecticut, Public Health (2013)
Research
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Overview
Public Health Interests
Global Health; Health Equity, Disparities, Social Determinants and Justice; HIV/AIDS; Behavioral Health; Clinical Trials; Community Health; Substance Use, Addiction; Sexually-Transmitted Infections
ORCID
0000-0003-4340-3101
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Roman Shrestha's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Roman Shrestha's research output by year.
Jeffrey A. Wickersham, PhD
Frederick (Rick) Lewis Altice, MD, MA
Kamal Gautam
Kiran Paudel
Sheela Shenoi, MD, MPH, FIDSA
Zhao Ni, PhD, BMedSci, RN, FAAN, FAHA
155Publications
2,814Citations
Publications
2026
Exploring Perceived Utility of a Clinic‐Integrated HIV Prevention App for Men Who Have Sex With Men in Malaysia: A Qualitative Think‐Aloud Study
Sujan S, Wickersham J, Khati A, Gautam K, Paudel K, Azwa I, Altice F, Tan Y, Sabri N, Copenhaver M, Shrestha R. Exploring Perceived Utility of a Clinic‐Integrated HIV Prevention App for Men Who Have Sex With Men in Malaysia: A Qualitative Think‐Aloud Study. Health Science Reports 2026, 9: e72458. PMID: 42094620, PMCID: PMC13139626, DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.72458.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHIV prevention servicesHIV prevention appHIV prevention effortsPreventive servicesPrevention appsPrevention effortsSemi-structured interviewsHIV testingHealthcare settingsHealthcare stakeholdersApp featuresMSMQualitative interviewsPilot testVulnerable groupsQualitative dataHealth concernPre-specified tasksQualitative think-aloud studyHIVHealthcareGlobal health concernUser feedbackParticipantsTheme analysis“Silent or Silenced?”: Cross-sectional Findings of Internalised Homophobia and Intimate Partner Violence as Mediators between Stigma and Concealment Motivation Among Men who have Sex with Men in Malaysia
Hui E, Murthi T, Sabri N, Tan Y, Sujan S, Gautam K, Paudel K, Azwa I, Wickersham J, Shrestha R. “Silent or Silenced?”: Cross-sectional Findings of Internalised Homophobia and Intimate Partner Violence as Mediators between Stigma and Concealment Motivation Among Men who have Sex with Men in Malaysia. Psychology And Sexuality 2026, ahead-of-print: 1-17. DOI: 10.1080/19419899.2026.2655665.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsIntimate partner violenceEffects of stigmaInternalised homophobiaConcealment motivationCross-sectional findingsPartner violenceSerial mediation analysisMinority stress theoryMediation analysisCross-sectional designTotal effectBronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theoryMSM participantsSocio-cultural challengesEcological systems theoryConvenience sampleMixed-methods approachStigmaHomophobiaNon-urban populationsMSMViolenceNon-significantIndirect effectsParticipantsTrends and burden of tobacco use in Nepal: Insights from the Global Burden of Disease study 1990–2021
Paudel K, Gautam K, Niroula S, Bhusal S, Wickersham J, Sujan S, Kc B, Adhikari T, Shrestha R. Trends and burden of tobacco use in Nepal: Insights from the Global Burden of Disease study 1990–2021. Tobacco Prevention & Cessation 2026, 12 PMID: 41869373, PMCID: PMC13001751, DOI: 10.18332/tpc217390.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsDisability-adjusted life yearsGlobal Burden of DiseaseTobacco useDeaths attributable to tobacco useTobacco consumptionBurden of tobacco useTobacco productsGlobal burdenGlobal Burden of Disease StudyPersistent burdenBurden of Disease StudyBurden of tobaccoSmoking cessation programBurden of diseaseSex-specific mortalityTobacco controlPublic health problemPublic awareness campaignsPublic health concernAge-standardizedCessation programsAge-specificLife yearsHealth problemsDisease StudyTrends and burden of tobacco use in Nepal: Insights from the Global Burden of Disease study 1990–2021
Paudel K, Gautam K, Niroula S, Bhusal S, Wickersham J, Sujan M, KC B, Adhikari T, Shrestha R. Trends and burden of tobacco use in Nepal: Insights from the Global Burden of Disease study 1990–2021. Tobacco Prevention & Cessation 2026, 12: 1-10. DOI: 10.18332/tpc/217390.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchUnderstanding barriers and facilitators of healthy diet and physical activity among African immigrants in the US: a qualitative study
Bannor R, Baidoo R, Ray S, Idiong C, Goetz J, Kalinowski J, Shrestha R, Xu R, Pagoto S. Understanding barriers and facilitators of healthy diet and physical activity among African immigrants in the US: a qualitative study. Ethnicity And Health 2026, ahead-of-print: 1-19. PMID: 41703704, DOI: 10.1080/13557858.2026.2630828.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsPhysical activityHealthy dietLifestyle interventionFocus groupsPhysical activity facilitatorsSugary beverage consumptionObesogenic food environmentInter-rater reliabilityConsumption of vegetablesSustained behavior changeAfrican immigrantsFruit servingsGym membershipFood environmentSedentary lifestyleUnique barriersBeverage consumptionScreening surveyQualitative studyLean proteinActive facilitationLifestyleBehavioral changesFacilitationBlack AmericansFeasibility and acceptability of daily oral emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (FTC/TAF) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among people who inject drugs with opioid use disorder
Gautam K, Paudel K, Wickersham J, Altice F, Bellia G, Jadkarim L, Liew Z, Khati A, Copenhaver M, Shrestha R. Feasibility and acceptability of daily oral emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (FTC/TAF) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among people who inject drugs with opioid use disorder. Sexually Transmitted Infections 2026, sextrans-2025-056770. PMID: 41667236, DOI: 10.1136/sextrans-2025-056770.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsFollow-up visitOpioid use disorderHIV pre-exposure prophylaxisPre-exposure prophylaxisSelf-reported adherenceInjected drugsUse disorderSide effectsOpen-label observational studyHIV seroconversionFTC/TAFSingle-armPrEP useCondomless sexObservational studyHIVSelf-ReportHIV preventionPrEPMonthsTime pointsNon-HispanicProphylaxisOpioidExit interviewsSystematic review of ecological momentary assessment for assessing mental health among sexual and gender minorities
Gautam K, Paudel K, Bautista B, Khati A, Sujan M, Xu R, Copenhaver M, Wickersham J, Valente P, Park C, Shrestha R. Systematic review of ecological momentary assessment for assessing mental health among sexual and gender minorities. Npj Digital Public Health 2026, 1: 3. DOI: 10.1038/s44482-025-00006-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsEcological momentary assessmentJust-in-time adaptive interventionsMomentary assessmentMental healthPredictors of poor mental healthRates of depressionDynamic predictorsGender minoritiesAffective instabilityMental health careSystematic reviewPoor mental healthSuicidal thoughtsPredictive utilityInterpersonal conflictSocial supportPsychological stateReal-time fluctuationsProtective factorsSGM individualsParticipant burdenGender affirmationHealth careAdaptive interventionsCochrane Library databasesLeveraging mHealth interventions to reduce sex- and drug-related risk behaviors among chemsex-involved men who have sex with men: evidence from a qualitative study
Gautam K, Uyar C, Wickersham J, Paudel K, Azwa I, Altice F, Sujan M, Ha T, Copenhaver M, Shrestha R. Leveraging mHealth interventions to reduce sex- and drug-related risk behaviors among chemsex-involved men who have sex with men: evidence from a qualitative study. Harm Reduction Journal 2026, 23: 54. PMID: 41656250, PMCID: PMC12983591, DOI: 10.1186/s12954-026-01417-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsHarm reduction servicesHarm reductionFear of legal consequencesPeer support groupsHarm reduction suppliesHarm reduction informationLikelihood of HIV transmissionMobile appsSexualized drug useAdverse health outcomesVirtual focus groupsDrug useFocus group sessionsMHealth interventionsDrug-related risk behaviorsMSM participantsPublic health concernHealth outcomesHealthcare providersSupport groupsGroup sessionsThematic analysisFocus groupsMultiple barriersQualitative studyEnhancing quality of life through tailored interventions for men living with HIV
Pham T, Wu Q, Pan C, Ha L, Bui T, Sujan M, Schensul S, Shrestha R, Le N, Ha T. Enhancing quality of life through tailored interventions for men living with HIV. Quality Of Life Research 2026, 35: 27. PMID: 41511671, DOI: 10.1007/s11136-025-04146-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsQuality of lifeGroup interventionEQ-5D-3 L instrumentPoor quality of lifeCollective advocacyPoor qualityAntiretroviral therapyMultilevel interventionsHIV interventionsResource-limited settingsGroup sessionsLinear mixed modelsStandard careIndividual counselingSecondary analysisQoLRandomized clinical trialsInterventionPilot sitesClinical covariatesIntervention sequencesHIVMixed modelsCounselingControl group
2025
Assessment of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Nepal: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey
Sujan S, Paudel K, Gautam K, Pandey A, Leo A, Wickersham J, Chaudhari P, Dhakal M, Sharma S, Shrestha R. Assessment of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Nepal: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey. International Journal Of Sexual Health 2025, ahead-of-print: 1-11. DOI: 10.1080/19317611.2025.2603483.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsDepressive symptomsPrevalence of anxietySubstance useGeneralized Anxiety Disorder-7Assessment of anxietyPatient Health Questionnaire-9Mental health interventionsFactors of anxietyAssociated FactorsCross-sectional online surveyCross-sectional surveyMiddle-income settingsAnxietyMultivariate logistic regression analysisPublic health concernLogistic regression analysisHealth interventionsGBMSMSymptomsUnique needsTransactional sexOutcome variablesHealth concernParticipantsOnline survey
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
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Activities
activity mHealth App Development for HIV prevention
03/01/2020 - PresentResearchDetailsKuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysiaactivity Expanding PrEP access to PWID (EPIC-P)
01/06/2020 - PresentResearchDetailsNew Haven, CT, United States
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