Jeffrey A. Wickersham, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases)DownloadHi-Res Photo
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Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
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Infectious Diseases
Primary
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Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Appointments
Infectious Diseases
Primary
Contact Info
Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Appointments
Infectious Diseases
Primary
Contact Info
About
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Associate Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases)
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Biography
Jeffrey Wickersham is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the section of infectious diseases and Director of the mHealth Research & Innovation Lab (mHRI) at YSM. His research is focused on improving HIV treatment and prevention outcomes among sexual and gender minorities, including transgender women, gay men, and bisexual men. Dr. Wickersham's research has focused on development of biomedical and behavioral interventions, including peer/patient navigation, implementation of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, development of artificial intelligence-based "chatbot" technology to improve uptake of HIV testing, and adaptation of mHealth applications for transgender women to scale-up HIV testing and linkage to PrEP services. Most of this research is being conducted in Southeast Asia, primarily at sites in Malaysia and Thailand.
Last Updated on October 27, 2025.
Appointments
Infectious Diseases
Associate Professor on TermPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- All Institutions
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS
- Clinical & Community Research (YCCR)
- Dean's Advisory Council for LGBTQI Affairs
- Infectious Diseases
- Internal Medicine
- mHealth Research and Innovation Lab
- Yale Institute for Global Health
- Yale Medicine Outlist
- Yale-UPR Integrated HIV Basic and Clinical Sciences Initiative
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Associate
- Yale School of Medicine (2012)
- PhD
- University of Connecticut (2010)
- MA
- University of Maine (2005)
- BA
- Southwestern University (2000)
Research
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Overview
Medical Research Interests
Health Services for Transgender Persons; HIV Infections; Sex Work; Sexual and Gender Minorities; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Transgender Persons
Public Health Interests
HIV/AIDS
ORCID
0000-0001-7701-9162- View Lab Website
Yale mHealth Research and Innovation Lab
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Jeffrey A. Wickersham's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Jeffrey A. Wickersham's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Jeffrey A. Wickersham is interested in exploring.
Frederick (Rick) Lewis Altice, MD, MA
Roman Shrestha, PhD, MPH
Kamal Gautam
Kiran Paudel
Zhao Ni, PhD, BMedSci, RN, FAAN, FAHA
Sandra Ann Springer, MD
122Publications
2,546Citations
HIV Infections
Sexual and Gender Minorities
Transgender Persons
Sex Work
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Health Services for Transgender Persons
Publications
2026
Trends 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 ResearchFeasibility 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 ResearchConceptsFollow-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 study
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 surveyPrevalence of HIV, syphilis, and condomless sex among MSM in Nepal; findings based on an integrated biological and behavioral surveillance survey using respondent-driven sampling
Paudel K, Gautam K, Bhandari P, Lena F, Wickersham J, Sujan S, Dhakal M, Xu R, Adhikari T, Copenhaver M, Shrestha R. Prevalence of HIV, syphilis, and condomless sex among MSM in Nepal; findings based on an integrated biological and behavioral surveillance survey using respondent-driven sampling. Medicine 2025, 104: e46286. PMID: 41327717, PMCID: PMC12662437, DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000046286.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsFactors associated with syphilis infectionAssociated with higher oddsCondomless sexHuman immunodeficiency virusPrevalence of human immunodeficiency virusSyphilis infectionSyphilis prevalenceRisk of sexually transmitted infectionsMental health issuesAdverse health outcomesHuman immunodeficiency virus prevalenceRespondent-driven samplingBehavior Surveillance SurveySexually transmitted infectionsHealth outcomesSurveillance SurveyUnsafe sexual behaviorMSMSocial stigmaHealth issuesRisky sexual behaviorSexual behaviorCondomlessSexual riskMarginalized populationsValidation and Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of a Sexual Stigma Scale Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Nepal
Sujan M, Hui E, Khati A, Gautam K, Paudel K, Dhakal M, Wickersham J, Shrestha R. Validation and Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of a Sexual Stigma Scale Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Nepal. Sexuality Research And Social Policy 2025, 1-12. DOI: 10.1007/s13178-025-01241-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsConfirmatory factor analysisTwo-factor structureExploratory factor analysisPsychometric propertiesConcurrent validityGeneralized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7Factor analysisStigma ScaleEnacted stigmaAdequate concurrent validityExploratory factor analysis resultsNepali versionPatient Health Questionnaire-9MethodsA cross-sectional surveyStigma reduction interventionsDepressive symptomsSleep Quality ScaleCross-sectional surveyScale-7Internal reliabilityInternal consistencyStandardized measuresSevere stigmaSleep qualityGBMSMExploring perceived and enacted stigma with related factors among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Nepal
Sujan M, Khati A, Paudel K, Gautam K, Pandey A, Sharma S, Dhakal M, Wickersham J, Shrestha R. Exploring perceived and enacted stigma with related factors among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Nepal. Sexual Health 2025, 22 PMID: 40977232, DOI: 10.1071/sh25031.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsEnacted stigmaPatient Health Questionnaire-9Stigma reduction initiativesCross-sectional studyMultivariate linear regression analysisSleep Quality ScaleStigma ScalePerceived stigmaBackground StigmaExploratory factor analysisComprehensive interventionDepressive symptomsGBMSMStigmaAnal sexLinear regression analysisGroup sexOlder individualsSexual behaviorAssociated FactorsTransactional sexWell-beingReduction initiativesParticipantsQuality scalePrevalence and determinants of excessive daytime sleepiness among men who have sex with men in Nepal: A cross-sectional study
Paudel K, Gautam K, Sharma M, Wickersham J, Sujan S, Ha T, Copenhaver M, Adhikari T, Shrestha R. Prevalence and determinants of excessive daytime sleepiness among men who have sex with men in Nepal: A cross-sectional study. Medicine 2025, 104: e42341. PMID: 40760630, PMCID: PMC12323900, DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000042341.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPrevalence of excessive daytime sleepinessSocial supportDepressive symptomsPatient Health QuestionnaireExcessive daytime sleepinessConfidence intervalsHealth care providersCross-sectional surveySevere depressive symptomsStrong social supportMiddle-income countriesCross-sectional studyModerate prevalenceFactors associated with excessive daytime sleepinessCare providersHealth QuestionnaireMultivariate logistic regression analysisPHQ-9Public health concernEffective careLogistic regression analysisHigher oddsStudy participantsMSMOdds ratio
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2018 - PresentCommitteesBoard Member
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- May 07, 2025
Experts Discuss Global Health Strategies at Second Annual Symposium
- November 21, 2024
Reducing High-risk Behaviors for HIV Prevention
- November 14, 2024
Yale Department of Internal Medicine Faculty Promotions and Appointments (November 2024)
- August 17, 2022Source: Medscape
Chemsex, HIV Risk Require Tailored Harm Reduction Strategies
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