Robert Heimer, PhD
Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) and of Pharmacology; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
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Research Summary
Dr. Heimer is also the Director of the Yale office of the Connecticut Emerging Infections Program. This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded program is one of eleven programs nationwide that seek to assess, through population-based surveillance, the public health impact of emerging infectious diseases and to evaluate methods for their prevention and control in the community. The Yale program currently focuses on foodborne illnesses, and respiratory illnesses (influenza and RSV), tick borne diseases, and hospital acquired and related infections (including but not limited to C. difficile, antimicrobial resistant enterococci, S. aureus, and bloodstream candidemia).
In a second domain, Dr. Heimer's major research efforts include scientific investigations of the mortality and morbidity associated with illicit drug use. Areas of investigation include syringe exchange programs, HIV survival in syringes, hepatitis B vaccination, hepatitis C transmission risks, overdose prevention and resuscitation, and pharmacological treatment of opiate addiction. His research combines laboratory, operational, and ethnographic analyses to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs in preventing the negative medical consequences of injection drug use. Dr. Heimer is a member of Yale's Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS and the CT Opioid Response Team established in 2016 by Governor Daniel Malloy.
Specialized Terms: Mortality and morbidity in relation to injection drug use; HIV and hepatitis C transmission; Evaluation of prevention and treatment for people who inject drugs
Extensive Research Description
Robert Heimer is Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health and of Pharmacology at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Heimer’s research provides health and prevention practitioners with information by examining consequences of drug abuse in the United States, Russia, and in other global contexts.
Current research and program evaluation efforts are funded by NIH, CDC, FDA, and the Gilead Foundation.
Coauthors
Research Interests
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Epidemiology; Foodborne Diseases; Hepatitis C; Injections; Public Health; Russia; Vietnam; Global Health; HIV Infections
Public Health Interests
HIV/AIDS; Infectious Diseases; Substance Use, Addiction; COVID-19
Selected Publications
- Prevalence, characteristics, and predictors of police training initiatives by US SEPs: building an evidence base for structural interventions.Beletsky L, Grau LE, White E, Bowman S, Heimer R. Prevalence, characteristics, and predictors of police training initiatives by US SEPs: building an evidence base for structural interventions. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2011, 119: 145-9. PMID: 21705159, PMCID: PMC3192926, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2011.05.034.
- Sexual Partners of Street-Based Female Sex Workers in St. Petersburg, Russia: A Model of Partnership Characteristics as a Basis for Further Research.Levina OS, Heimer R, Odinokova V, Bodanovskaya Z, Safiullina L, Irwin KS, Niccolai LM. Sexual Partners of Street-Based Female Sex Workers in St. Petersburg, Russia: A Model of Partnership Characteristics as a Basis for Further Research. Human Organization 2012, 71: 32-43. PMID: 25741032, PMCID: PMC4346184, DOI: 10.17730/humo.71.1.9130380u68614w47.
- Chronic pain, addiction severity, and misuse of opioids in Cumberland County, Maine.Heimer R, Dasgupta N, Irwin KS, Kinzly M, Harvey AP, Givens A, Grau LE. Chronic pain, addiction severity, and misuse of opioids in Cumberland County, Maine. Addictive Behaviors 2012, 37: 346-9. PMID: 22138379, DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2011.11.017.
- Police training to align law enforcement and HIV prevention: preliminary evidence from the field.Beletsky L, Agrawal A, Moreau B, Kumar P, Weiss-Laxer N, Heimer R. Police training to align law enforcement and HIV prevention: preliminary evidence from the field. American Journal Of Public Health 2011, 101: 2012-5. PMID: 21940924, PMCID: PMC3222387, DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300254.
- The relative role of perceived partner risks in promoting condom use in a three-city sample of high-risk, low-income women.Ober AJ, Iguchi MY, Weiss RE, Gorbach PM, Heimer R, Ouellet LJ, Shoptaw S, Anglin MD, Zule WA. The relative role of perceived partner risks in promoting condom use in a three-city sample of high-risk, low-income women. AIDS And Behavior 2011, 15: 1347-58. PMID: 20976538, PMCID: PMC3180610, DOI: 10.1007/s10461-010-9840-7.
- Estimates of HIV incidence among drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia: continued growth of a rapidly expanding epidemic.Niccolai LM, Verevochkin SV, Toussova OV, White E, Barbour R, Kozlov AP, Heimer R. Estimates of HIV incidence among drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia: continued growth of a rapidly expanding epidemic. European Journal Of Public Health 2011, 21: 613-9. PMID: 20798184, PMCID: PMC3180633, DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckq115.
- HIV disclosure, condom use, and awareness of HIV infection among HIV-positive, heterosexual drug injectors in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.Grau LE, White E, Niccolai LM, Toussova OV, Verevochkin SV, Kozlov AP, Heimer R. HIV disclosure, condom use, and awareness of HIV infection among HIV-positive, heterosexual drug injectors in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. AIDS And Behavior 2011, 15: 45-57. PMID: 20700645, PMCID: PMC3023022, DOI: 10.1007/s10461-010-9775-z.
- Epidemiologic trends and geographic patterns of fatal opioid intoxications in Connecticut, USA: 1997-2007.Green TC, Grau LE, Carver HW, Kinzly M, Heimer R. Epidemiologic trends and geographic patterns of fatal opioid intoxications in Connecticut, USA: 1997-2007. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2011, 115: 221-8. PMID: 21131140, PMCID: PMC3095753, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.11.007.
- Survival of hepatitis C virus in syringes: implication for transmission among injection drug users.Paintsil E, He H, Peters C, Lindenbach BD, Heimer R. Survival of hepatitis C virus in syringes: implication for transmission among injection drug users. The Journal Of Infectious Diseases 2010, 202: 984-90. PMID: 20726768, PMCID: PMC2932767, DOI: 10.1086/656212.
- The roles of law, client race and program visibility in shaping police interference with the operation of US syringe exchange programs.Beletsky L, Grau LE, White E, Bowman S, Heimer R. The roles of law, client race and program visibility in shaping police interference with the operation of US syringe exchange programs. Addiction (Abingdon, England) 2011, 106: 357-65. PMID: 21054615, PMCID: PMC3088513, DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03149.x.
- Drug network characteristics and HIV risk among injection drug users in Russia: the roles of trust, size, and stability.Cepeda JA, Odinokova VA, Heimer R, Grau LE, Lyubimova A, Safiullina L, Levina OS, Niccolai LM. Drug network characteristics and HIV risk among injection drug users in Russia: the roles of trust, size, and stability. AIDS And Behavior 2011, 15: 1003-10. PMID: 20872063, PMCID: PMC3112286, DOI: 10.1007/s10461-010-9816-7.
- Subpopulations of illicit drug users reached by targeted street outreach and respondent-driven sampling strategies: implications for research and public health practice.Rudolph AE, Crawford ND, Latkin C, Heimer R, Benjamin EO, Jones KC, Fuller CM. Subpopulations of illicit drug users reached by targeted street outreach and respondent-driven sampling strategies: implications for research and public health practice. Annals Of Epidemiology 2011, 21: 280-9. PMID: 21376275, PMCID: PMC3062521, DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.11.007.
- Comparing sexual risks and patterns of alcohol and drug use between injection drug users (IDUs) and non-IDUs who report sexual partnerships with IDUs in St. Petersburg, Russia.Abdala N, White E, Toussova OV, Krasnoselskikh TV, Verevochkin S, Kozlov AP, Heimer R. Comparing sexual risks and patterns of alcohol and drug use between injection drug users (IDUs) and non-IDUs who report sexual partnerships with IDUs in St. Petersburg, Russia. BMC Public Health 2010, 10: 676. PMID: 21054855, PMCID: PMC2988741, DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-676.
- Prevalence and predictors of transitions to and away from syringe exchange use over time in 3 US cities with varied syringe dispensing policies.Green TC, Bluthenthal RN, Singer M, Beletsky L, Grau LE, Marshall P, Heimer R. Prevalence and predictors of transitions to and away from syringe exchange use over time in 3 US cities with varied syringe dispensing policies. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2010, 111: 74-81. PMID: 20537814, PMCID: PMC3087197, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.03.022.
- High HIV prevalence, suboptimal HIV testing, and low knowledge of HIV-positive serostatus among injection drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia.Niccolai LM, Toussova OV, Verevochkin SV, Barbour R, Heimer R, Kozlov AP. High HIV prevalence, suboptimal HIV testing, and low knowledge of HIV-positive serostatus among injection drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia. AIDS And Behavior 2010, 14: 932-41. PMID: 18843531, PMCID: PMC3116648, DOI: 10.1007/s10461-008-9469-y.
- Estimation of the number of injection drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia.Heimer R, White E. Estimation of the number of injection drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2010, 109: 79-83. PMID: 20060238, PMCID: PMC2875272, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2009.12.010.
- Patterns of drug use and abuse among aging adults with and without HIV: a latent class analysis of a US Veteran cohort.Green TC, Kershaw T, Lin H, Heimer R, Goulet JL, Kraemer KL, Gordon AJ, Maisto SA, Day NL, Bryant K, Fiellin DA, Justice AC. Patterns of drug use and abuse among aging adults with and without HIV: a latent class analysis of a US Veteran cohort. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2010, 110: 208-20. PMID: 20395074, PMCID: PMC3087206, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.02.020.
- Statistical design for a small serial dilution series.Zelterman D, Tulupyev A, Heimer R, Abdala N. Statistical design for a small serial dilution series. Statistics In Medicine 2010, 29: 411-20. PMID: 19943329, PMCID: PMC3113538, DOI: 10.1002/sim.3774.
- Hepatitis C virus infection among drug injectors in St Petersburg, Russia: social and molecular epidemiology of an endemic infection.Paintsil E, Verevochkin SV, Dukhovlinova E, Niccolai L, Barbour R, White E, Toussova OV, Alexander L, Kozlov AP, Heimer R. Hepatitis C virus infection among drug injectors in St Petersburg, Russia: social and molecular epidemiology of an endemic infection. Addiction (Abingdon, England) 2009, 104: 1881-90. PMID: 19712125, PMCID: PMC2763027, DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02687.x.
- Getting the message straight: effects of a brief hepatitis prevention intervention among injection drug users.Grau LE, Green TC, Singer M, Bluthenthal RN, Marshall PA, Heimer R. Getting the message straight: effects of a brief hepatitis prevention intervention among injection drug users. Harm Reduction Journal 2009, 6: 36. PMID: 20003518, PMCID: PMC2804675, DOI: 10.1186/1477-7517-6-36.
- Peridomestic Lyme disease prevention: results of a population-based case-control study.Connally NP, Durante AJ, Yousey-Hindes KM, Meek JI, Nelson RS, Heimer R. Peridomestic Lyme disease prevention: results of a population-based case-control study. American Journal Of Preventive Medicine 2009, 37: 201-6. PMID: 19595558, DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2009.04.026.
- The potential for bridging of HIV transmission in the Russian Federation: sex risk behaviors and HIV prevalence among drug users (DUs) and their non-DU sex partners.Niccolai LM, Shcherbakova IS, Toussova OV, Kozlov AP, Heimer R. The potential for bridging of HIV transmission in the Russian Federation: sex risk behaviors and HIV prevalence among drug users (DUs) and their non-DU sex partners. Journal Of Urban Health : Bulletin Of The New York Academy Of Medicine 2009, 86 Suppl 1: 131-43. PMID: 19507037, PMCID: PMC2705488, DOI: 10.1007/s11524-009-9369-0.
- Potential bridges of heterosexual HIV transmission from drug users to the general population in St. Petersburg, Russia: is it easy to be a young female?Toussova O, Shcherbakova I, Volkova G, Niccolai L, Heimer R, Kozlov A. Potential bridges of heterosexual HIV transmission from drug users to the general population in St. Petersburg, Russia: is it easy to be a young female? Journal Of Urban Health : Bulletin Of The New York Academy Of Medicine 2009, 86 Suppl 1: 121-30. PMID: 19533368, PMCID: PMC2705483, DOI: 10.1007/s11524-009-9364-5.
- Simultaneous recruitment of drug users and men who have sex with men in the United States and Russia using respondent-driven sampling: sampling methods and implications.Iguchi MY, Ober AJ, Berry SH, Fain T, Heckathorn DD, Gorbach PM, Heimer R, Kozlov A, Ouellet LJ, Shoptaw S, Zule WA. Simultaneous recruitment of drug users and men who have sex with men in the United States and Russia using respondent-driven sampling: sampling methods and implications. Journal Of Urban Health : Bulletin Of The New York Academy Of Medicine 2009, 86 Suppl 1: 5-31. PMID: 19472058, PMCID: PMC2705484, DOI: 10.1007/s11524-009-9365-4.
- Social and structural aspects of the overdose risk environment in St. Petersburg, Russia.Green TC, Grau LE, Blinnikova KN, Torban M, Krupitsky E, Ilyuk R, Kozlov A, Heimer R. Social and structural aspects of the overdose risk environment in St. Petersburg, Russia. The International Journal On Drug Policy 2009, 20: 270-6. PMID: 18774283, PMCID: PMC2696401, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2008.07.002.
- Drug choice, spatial distribution, HIV risk, and HIV prevalence among injection drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia.Kruse GR, Barbour R, Heimer R, Shaboltas AV, Toussova OV, Hoffman IF, Kozlov AP. Drug choice, spatial distribution, HIV risk, and HIV prevalence among injection drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia. Harm Reduction Journal 2009, 6: 22. PMID: 19646255, PMCID: PMC2731096, DOI: 10.1186/1477-7517-6-22.
- Psychosocial and contextual correlates of opioid overdose risk among drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia.Grau LE, Green TC, Torban M, Blinnikova K, Krupitsky E, Ilyuk R, Kozlov AP, Heimer R. Psychosocial and contextual correlates of opioid overdose risk among drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia. Harm Reduction Journal 2009, 6: 17. PMID: 19630963, PMCID: PMC2724502, DOI: 10.1186/1477-7517-6-17.
- Distinguishing signs of opioid overdose and indication for naloxone: an evaluation of six overdose training and naloxone distribution programs in the United States.Green TC, Heimer R, Grau LE. Distinguishing signs of opioid overdose and indication for naloxone: an evaluation of six overdose training and naloxone distribution programs in the United States. Addiction (Abingdon, England) 2008, 103: 979-89. PMID: 18422830, PMCID: PMC3163671, DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02182.x.
- Economic evaluation of delivering hepatitis B vaccine to injection drug users.Hu Y, Grau LE, Scott G, Seal KH, Marshall PA, Singer M, Heimer R. Economic evaluation of delivering hepatitis B vaccine to injection drug users. American Journal Of Preventive Medicine 2008, 35: 25-32. PMID: 18541174, PMCID: PMC2483306, DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2008.03.028.
- Spatial distribution of HIV prevalence and incidence among injection drugs users in St Petersburg: implications for HIV transmission.Heimer R, Barbour R, Shaboltas AV, Hoffman IF, Kozlov AP. Spatial distribution of HIV prevalence and incidence among injection drugs users in St Petersburg: implications for HIV transmission. AIDS (London, England) 2008, 22: 123-30. PMID: 18090400, PMCID: PMC2778790, DOI: 10.1097/QAD.0b013e3282f244ef.
- Community coverage and HIV prevention: assessing metrics for estimating HIV incidence through syringe exchange.Heimer R. Community coverage and HIV prevention: assessing metrics for estimating HIV incidence through syringe exchange. The International Journal On Drug Policy 2008, 19 Suppl 1: S65-73. PMID: 18207726, PMCID: PMC2367433, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2007.12.004.