Haneefa Saleem

Dr. Haneefa Saleem is an Assistant Professor - Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and social and behavioral research scientist with over 12 years of experience conducting qualitative and mixed-methods research domestically in the U.S. and globally on HIV prevention and treatment. For the past 8 years, her research has focused on the intersections of substance use and HIV, particularly mechanisms through which individual, social, and structural factors affect HIV prevention and treatment behaviors and outcomes. Through NIH and CDC-sponsored research studies, Dr. Saleem has examined socio-structural barriers along the HIV care continuum among women, developed and evaluated a pilot program to offer take-home methadone medications, and integrated HIV testing and treatment services into a public opioid treatment program. In our work focused on women who use drugs, we have characterized the influence of interpersonal, symbolic, and structural violence on HIV risks and vulnerabilities. She currently serves as PI on studies addressing the underlying mental health comorbidities, including post-traumatic stress, faced by women who use drugs to improve PrEP engagement (R34DA058566) and examining how social networks affect HIV treatment and opioid treatment adherence (K01DA047142). For the past few years, she has served as lead instructor for a qualitative research practicum course, providing guidance and oversight on over a dozen community-engaged research projects with a diverse range of community partners, including those that provide harm reduction, opioid treatment, and housing support services for people with a history of drug use in Baltimore. As the lead of a school-wide Baltimore community engagement project quality improvement initiative under the Vice Dean of Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH), Dr. Saleem is working in partnership with community and BSPH stakeholders to develop approaches to monitor and improve the quality and impact of community-engaged projects conducted by faculty, staff, and students at the school. She has significant experience managing research projects from start to finish, including developing IRB protocols, protection of human subjects, staff training, assisting in recruitment, developing interviewer guides, and data analysis.