The Summer Research Fellowship is designed to provide financial support for students and post-doctoral trainees to conduct a mentored research project during the academic summer break. We encourage a broad range of research topics pertaining to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including basic science, clinical investigation, program science, educational scholarship, etc.
The goals of the Summer Research Fellowship are to:
- Encourage trainees to conduct STI research
- Provide financial support that permits trainees to dedicate time to a STI-related research project
- Encourage STI researchers to dedicate time to mentoring trainees and recognize the mentor’s contribution with an honorarium
- Advance the ASTDA mission to foster scientific knowledge, develop leadership, and champion practice in the field of sexually transmitted infections.
ASTDA is pleased to announce the 2025 Summer Fellowship Awardees:
Intracellular miRNAs expressed in CD4+ T-cell subsets from women with and without Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) reinfection
Awardee: Chloe Meewes, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Mentor: William M. Geisler, MD, MPH
Evaluating the potential of a therapeutic HPV vaccine to accelerate cervical cancer elimination in high HIV-burden regions: A mathematical modeling study
Awardee: Christine L. Hathaway, BS University of Washington
Mentor: Ruanne V. Barnabas, MBChB, DPhil, MSc
Impacts of postexposure doxycycline on network-level bacterial STI incidence and detection among men who have sex with men in North Carolina
Awardee: Cara Broshkevitch, MS, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Mentor: Kimberly Powers, PhD
Exploring longitudinal partnership dynamics of sexual minority men in Columbus, Ohio: An analysis of the Network Epidemiology of Syphilis Transmission study
Awardee: Brittany Liebhard, MPH, The Ohio State University
Mentor: Emily Learner, PhD
Implementation and Acceptability of Mobile Point-Of-Care Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections for Women Who Inject Drugs in Seattle
Awardee: Abby Fessler, MD, University of Washington
Mentor: Jenell Stewart, DO, MPH
Association between tenofovir-based PrEP use and first episode of genital herpes: A nested case-control study
Awardee: Adam Zimmer, BA, University of Washington
Mentor: Chase Cannon, MD, MPH
Investigating Estheticians’ Potential as Interventionists for Sexual Health Promotion and STI Referrals
Awardee: Alexandra Hughes, MPH, Indiana University
Mentor: Eric R. Walsh-Buhi, MPH, PhD
F-STEPS: Sexual Health Testing, Engagement, and Prevention Study in Persons Assigned Female at Birth
Awardee: Xinzhu (Tina) Yang, ScB, Columbia
Mentor: Jason E. Zucker, MD
Early and Asymptomatic Chlamydia trachomatis Infection in Pregnancy: Assessing the Impact of Treatment Timing on Adverse Birth Outcomes
Awardee: Chibuzor Babalola, MBBS MPH, University of Southern California
Mentor: Jeffrey Klausner, MD, MPH
Reducing Human Papillomavirus Vaccination-Related Disparities for Young Adult Sexual and Gender Minority Patients
Awardee: Megan Davish, MPH, Purdue University
Mentor: Monica Kasting, PhD
Determining STI Burden and Correlates Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women Seeking Contraception at Pharmacies in Kisumu, Kenya
Awardee: Omolara Akingba, BA, University of Washington
Mentor: Jillian Pintye, PhD, MPH, RN