September 14, 2018

Alexis Roth, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in the Department of Community Health and Prevention, at the Dornsife School of Public Health, received the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association (ASTDA) Young Investigator Award on August 29, 2018. The ASTDA recognizes significant contributions in STD control and prevention at their annual conference in Washington, D.C.

This prestigious award is presented to an outstanding investigator in the field of STD research with less than five years of experience beyond fellowship training. “It was truly an honor to be recognized for my work and to stand among leaders in the field of STD prevention, diagnostics and treatment,” said Roth. “Often, the award is given to clinical scholars but I work in community engagement and increasing access to care.” Nominations are solicited nationwide from the ASTDA membership base and winners are chosen by peer review. 

Roth traveled to Washington, D.C. to receive her award along with four of her student research team members. Participating students include: Marisa Felsher, DrPH(c) in CHP, Nguyen Tran, MPH, and first year doctoral student in Epidemiology, Brogan Piecara, MPH, CHP class of 2015, and Bolutfie Odeniyi, BS, planned candidate CHP, MPH class of 2019.

Each student presented a scientific poster about human behaviors relating to HIV susceptibility and prevention. They shared their unique findings about Philadelphia. In Philadelphia alone, there are an estimated 30,000 people living with HIV in the Greater Philadelphia Region. Philadelphians are being infected at a rate five times the national average, and are being infected at a rate more than 50 percent higher than residents of New York City according to AIDS Fund Philly.

“Thanks to the National Institute on Drug Abuse funding, I will continue to study pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and its impact on those who have a substantial risk of attracting HIV at Prevention Point Philadelphia, a local nonprofit organization providing harm reduction services to the Greater Philadelphia area,” said Roth.