Lisa J. Messersmith

Areas of Expertise

Gender; HIV; HIV-related stigma and discrimination; sexual and reproductive rights; sexual and reproductive health; social and structural determinants of health

About Professor Messersmith

Prof. Messersmith has over 25 years of research, program and policy experience on gender, sexuality, HIV, and sexual and reproductive health and rights in Sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia. Dr. Messersmith is the principal investigator (PI) on several studies, most recently on a National Institute of Mental Health-funded study to test the effectiveness of wireless technology and data-informed counseling to improve retention in HIV care and adherence to antiretroviral therapy in HIV positive pregnant and postpartum women in Uganda. Other current research includes: a randomized control trial to evaluate interventions to address intimate partner violence in Tanzania; two studies in Ghana that explore the behavioral, socio-economic and structural vulnerability to HIV of people who inject drugs and women who work in bars; a study on the HIV and reproductive health and social service needs of women living with HIV and the first national study to document the types and magnitude of discrimination experienced by people living with HIV in Vietnam. She was also the principal investigator and Director of the Vietnam AIDS Policy and Planning Project, which trained nearly 850 senior policy makers at national and provincial level to design, implement and evaluate rights-based and multi-sectoral responses to HIV. Prof. Messersmith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Global Health (SPH) in addition to being an Affiliate Professor in Anthropology. 

Select Courses

• SPH GH 750 Gender, Sexuality, Power and Inequity in Global
• SPH GH 795 Global AIDS Epidemic
• SPH PM 828  Advanced Seminar in Qualitative Research Methods
• SPH SB 818 Qualitative Research Methods

Select Publications

• Sabin LL, Halim N, Hamer DH, Simmons EM, Jonnalagadda S, Larson Williams A, Chemusto H, Gifford AL, Bonawitz R, Aroda P, DeSilva M, Gasuza J, Mukasa B, Messersmith LJ. Retention in HIV Care Among HIV-Seropositive Pregnant and Postpartum Women in Uganda: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. AIDS Behav. 2020 Nov; 24(11):3164-3175.View Related Profiles. PMID: 32314120
• Murillo A, DeSilva MB, Sabin LL, Halim N, Chemusto H, Aroda P, Gasuza J, Hamer DH, Williams AL, Mukasa B, Messersmith LJ, Bonawitz R. Impact of a Maternal Prevention of Mother-to-child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) Intervention on HIV-exposed Infants in Uganda. Int J MCH AIDS. 2020; 9(3):320-329.View Related Profiles. PMID: 32765963
• Halim N, Steven Mzilangwe E, Reich N, Badi L, Simmons E, Servidone M, Bingham Holmes N, Kawemama P, Messersmith LJ. Together to end violence against women in Tanzania: Results of a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate preliminary effectiveness of interpersonal and community level interventions to address intimate partner violence. Glob Public Health. 2019 12; 14(12):1653-1668.View Related Profiles. PMID: 31084264