Dr. Jennifer Johnson, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University, was the invited speaker for a lunchtime talk and discussion about the intersection of HIV, incarceration and gender. This event was particularly timely, as it was held two weeks prior to National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 10).
Dr. Johnson provided an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding incarceration and gender, specifically discussing health issues that incarcerated women experience, such as drug dependence, HIV/STIs and interpersonal violence. She also presented quantitative and qualitative data from several of her NIH-funded studies for women who are incarcerated, focusing primarily on a study designed to adapt and tailor an integrated intervention to reduce HIV/STI risk behavior among women who have experienced interpersonal violence.
