Daniel Halperin
Lecturer on International Health
Department of Global Health and Population
Harvard Affiliations
Research
Prior to joining the faculty of the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Halperin served for over five years as the Senior HIV Prevention and Behavior Change Advisor at the US Agency for International Development. Dr. Halperin has conducted epidemiological and ethnographic research for over thirty years on a number of health and sociocultural issues in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions. Since completing his doctoral training in medical and cultural anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley in 1995, his work has mainly focused on the heterosexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. He has had extensive involvement in the design, management and evaluation of prevention, care and other HIV-AIDS programs, and continues to be actively engaged in collaborative endeavors with UNAIDS, WHO, CDC, UNICEF, Gates Foundation and other international partners in developing and disseminating policy-setting technical consultations, guidance documents, etc.
Most of Dr. Halperin's research and scientific publications (including in leading journals such as The Lancet, British Medical Journal, AIDS, and Science) have dealt with some of the previously more neglected HIV co-factors, such as concurrent sexual partner networks, lack of male circumcision, "dry sex" practices, alcohol use, and heterosexual anal intercourse. He has conducted field research and consultations over the years in a number of countries, including Brazil, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Peru and in various inner-city U.S. communities, and has an extensive background working with at-risk youth, particularly socially disadvantaged young men.
Honors and Awards
Hahnemann
Medical College/Drexel University, Award for Service to Profession, 2008
USAID Office of HIV-AIDS, Superior Award for Outstanding Career Achievement, 2007
American Public Health Association, Best International
Paper on HIV-AIDS, 2003
Courses Taught
Education
M.S. University of California at Berkeley, 1982, Health and Medical Sciences
Ph.D. University of California at Berkeley, 1995, Medical and Cultural Anthropology
Selected Publications
Potts, M., Halperin, D.T. (co-primary author), Kirby, D., Swidler, A., Klausner. J., Marseille, E., Hearst, N., Wamai, R., Kahn, J., Walsh, J. Reassessing HIV prevention. Science 2008, 320:749-50. (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/320/5877/749?ijkey=rJ1DgbxNEYbKQ&keytype=ref&siteid=sci)
Halperin, D.T., de Moya, A., Perez-Then, E., Pappas ,G., Garcia Calleja, J.M. Understanding the HIV epidemic in the Dominican Republic: A prevention success story in the Caribbean? Journal of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, in press (August 2008).
Wilson, D. Halperin, D.T. "Know your epidemic, know your response": A useful approach - if we get it right. Lancet, 2008, 372:423-26.
Mah, T., Halperin, D.T. Concurrent sexual partnerships and the HIV epidemic in Africa: The evidence to move forward. AIDS and Behavior 2008, DOI:10.1007/s10461-008-9433-x.
Halperin, D.T., Potts, M., Kirby, D., Klausner, J., Marseille, E., Wamai, R.G., Swidler, A., Walsh, J., Hearst, N.
Consensus-driven approaches are
not halting HIV in Africa: Time to base prevention
priorities on evidence. Science, in press.
Wamai, R.G., Weiss, H.A., Hankins, C., Agot, K., Abdool Karim, Q., Shisana, O., Otolorin, E.O., Kapiga, S., Serwadda, D.M., Sanchez, J., Pape, J.W., Mabuza, K., Bowa, K., Kebaabetswe, P., Wilson, D., Simelane, D., Morris, B., Sawires, Phiri, M., Setswe, G., Sewankambo, N.,Heywood, M., Woelk, G., Ntaganira, I., Cates, W., Rees, H., Diallo, M.O., Makhubele, M.B., Leclerc-Madlala, L., Jackson, H., Dludlu, S., Kalambayi Kayembe, P., Nyamucherera, O.F., Bongaarts, J., Geffen, N., Heywood, M., Ncala, J. Betukumesu, B., Kintaudi, L, Salang Seloilwe, Zungu, N., E., Ruiz, M., Venter, F., Micheni, K., de Moya, E.A., Cash, R., Bailey, R.C., Halperin, D.T. (co-primary author) Male circumcision is an efficacious, lasting and cost-effective strategy for combating HIV in high-prevalence AIDS epidemics: Time to move beyond debating the science. Future HIV Therapy, 2, 5 (in press, August 2008).
Weiss H.A., Halperin, D.T., Bailey R.C., Hayes R., Schmid, G., Hankins, C. Male circumcision for HIV prevention: From evidence to action? AIDS 2008, 22:567-74.
Klausner, J., Wamai, R., Bowa, K., Agot, K., Kagimba, J., Halperin, D.T. (co-primary author) Is male circumcision as good as the HIV vaccine we've been waiting for? Future HIV Therapy 2008, 2:1-7 (www.futuremedicine.com/doi/full/10.2217/17469600.2.1.1).
Halperin, D.T., Epstein, H. Why is HIV prevalence so severe in southern Africa? The role of multiple concurrent partnerships and lack of male circumcision. Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine 2007, 26:19-25. (www.harvardaidsprp.org/research/halperin&epstein-why-is-hiv-prevalence-so-severe.pdf)
Drain, P.K., Halperin, D.T., Hughes, J.P., Klausner, J., Bailey, R.C. Male circumcision, religion, and infectious diseases: An ecologic analysis of 118 developing countries. Bio-Med-Central Infect Dis. 2006, 6(1):172 (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/6/172).
Shelton, J.D., Halperin, D.T., Wilson, D. Has global HIV incidence peaked? Lancet 2006,367:1120-22.
Green, E.C., Halperin, D.T. (co-primary author), Nantulya, V., Hogle, J.A. Uganda's HIV prevention success: The role of sexual behavior change and the national response. AIDS and Behavior 2006, 10:335-46 (www.springerlink.com/content/h00r4n6521805w27/fulltext.html).
Halperin, D.T., Fritz, K., McFarland, W., Woelk, G. The feasibility of adult male circumcision for HIV prevention in Zimbabwe. Sexually Transmitted Diseases 2005, 32 :238-39.
Halperin, D.T., Steiner, M., Cassell, M., Green, E.C., Hearst, N., Kirby, D., Gayle H., Cates, W., et al. [149 signers in total]. The time has come for common ground on preventing sexual transmission of HIV. Lancet 2004, 364:1913-15.
Halperin, D.T., Post, G.L. Global HIV prevalence: The good news might be even better. Lancet 2004, 364:1035-36.
Shelton, J.D., Halperin, D.T. (co-primary author), Nantulya, V., Potts, M., Gayle, H.D., Holmes, K.K. Partner reduction is crucial for balanced "ABC" approach to HIV prevention. British Medical Journal 2004, 328:891-94 (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/bmj;328/7444/891).
Halperin, D.T., Bailey, R.C. Male circumcision and HIV infection: Ten years and counting. Lancet 1999, 354:1813-15 (http://www.circumcisioninfo.com/halperin_bailey.html).
Halperin, D.T. Heterosexual anal intercourse: Prevalence, cultural factors, and HIV infection and other health risks, part I. AIDS Patient Care 1999,13(12):717-30.
Halperin, D.T Putting a plague in perspective. New York Times, January 1, 2008, p. A19 (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/opinion/01halperin.html).
Halperin, D.T. AIDS prevention: What works? Washington Post, October 22, 2007, p. A23 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/21/AR2007102101368.html).