Paul A. Burns, Ph.D., M.S.

Social and Behavioral Sciences Administrator (Program Official)
Division of Integrative Biological and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Paul Burns is a social and behavioral sciences administrator (Program Official) in NIMHD’s Division of Integrative Biological and Behavioral Sciences. He is a social and behavioral researcher focused on reproductive health among populations experiencing health disparities. Dr. Burns's research seeks to understand the role of social and structural factors and their impact on risk behavior that increase vulnerability to HIV/STIs.

Prior to joining NIMHD, Dr. Burns was an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow. Previously, he was a founding faculty member of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

As principal investigator and co-investigator, Dr. Burns has worked on a number of studies designed to reduce HIV-related health disparities including:

• A patient navigation intervention to improve uptake of pre-exposure prophylactics (PrEP) among individuals and populations disproportionately impacted by HIV
• A community-driven HIV prevention intervention utilizing theatre to reduce HIV-related stigma.
• The development of multilevel, intersectional stigma measures.
• The use of digital technologies to improve uptake and adherence to HIV prevention, care and treatment services.

Dr. Burns obtained a doctorate in public health with a concentration in health behavior/health education from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Cornell University, and a B.S. in biology from Tulane University in New Orleans.

Selected Publications

• Williams MS, Poteat T, Bender M, Ugwu P, Burns P.A. Revitalizing HIV Prevention Programs: Recommendations From Those Most Impacted by HIV in the Deep South. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2022;36(1):155-164. doi: 10.1177/08901171211041097
• Rodriguez-Hart, C., Boone, C. A., Del Río-González, A. M., Kutner, B. A., Baral, S., Burns P.A., German, D., Eaton, L., Lucas, L., Remien, R. H., Ellis, M., & Dale, S. K. (2022). Monitoring intersectional stigma: A key strategy to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 112(S4), S350-S355. https://doi.org/10.215/AJPH.2022.306733 Kengo Inagaki, Chad Blackshear, Paul
• Burns P.A., Charlotte V Hobbs, Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Incidences of Bronchiolitis Requiring Hospitalization, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 72, Issue 4, 15 February 2021, Pages 668–674, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa113

Page published Oct. 16, 2024