Rob Stephenson

University of Birmingham Distinguished Chair Scholar Award - Public Health

Rob Stephenson PhD MSc MA is the Sylvia S. Hacker Collegiate Professor of Nursing and Sexual Health, and Chair of the Department of Systems, Population and Leadership in the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan, where he also directs the Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities. Trained as a Demographer and Epidemiologist, Rob’s work focuses on sexual and reproductive health, with specific foci on HIV prevention for sexual and gender minorities and women’s sexual and reproductive health needs in resource poor countries. Rob is particularly interested in the intersections of social stress, violence and HIV risk, with projects that examine how the social stressors experienced by LGBT may shape their experience of intimate partner violence and HIV risk related behaviours. Rob also works on the use of technology and mHealth to influence HIV testing and linkage to HIV care for MSM and transgender women, using mobile technology to help individuals understand and monitor their risks and be linked to local care. His current work focuses on determining the unique antecedents of IPV experienced by sexual minorities and developing interventions that aim to disrupt the pathways between IPV and poor sexual health outcomes.