Amanda Tanner

BRIEF BIO

PERSONAL INTRODUCTION

After college I had two landmark experiences that led me to graduate school: (1) spending a year as a Colorado ski bum trying to figure out what I wanted to do and (2) working at an international women’s health organization in New York City. I left the city to work on my MPH and PhD in public health at Indiana University. Since then I have continued to focus on sexual and reproductive health in my research, teaching, and service. Outside of work, you will find me on my bike, in the yoga studio, or in the woods playing with my family and friends!

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Amanda E. Tanner, PhD, MPH is an associate professor of public health at the University of North Carolina Greensboro and an affiliate faculty in Social Sciences and Health Policy at the Wake Forest School of Medicine. Dr. Tanner is a public health scientist with expertise in HIV prevention and care among vulnerable and marginalized populations, including adolescents, young adults, Latinx communities, and gender and sexual minorities. Her work has been published in several leading journals including the American Journal of Public Health, the Journal of Adolescent Health, and AIDS Care. Dr. Tanner is currently the principal investigator on two NIH grants: an R01 (National Institute of Nursing Research/NINR) focused on increasing connection to prevention and care services for sexual minority individuals living in Appalachia and an R34 (National Institute of Mental Health/NIMH) to develop and pilot a mobile website to support the transition from pediatric/adolescent- to adult-oriented HIV care. Her work is also supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the Adolescent Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, W.K. Kellogg Community Health Scholar, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 2009
• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Indiana University School of Medicine, 2008
• Ph.D in Health Behavior, Indiana University, 2007
• MPH in Community Health Education, Indiana University, 2003
• B.A. in Psychology and Women’s Studies, Saint Olaf College

CLASS SCHEDULE FALL 2022

• HEA 751 – 01  Foundations of Research for Public Health Education

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• HIV/AIDS
• Sexual and reproductive health
• Adolescent health
• Minority health
• Latinx health
• LGBTQ health
• Disparities/inequalities in health

CURRENT PROJECTS

As a public health behavioral researcher, I am interested in health disparities/inequalities especially as they relate to sexual and reproductive health outcomes. The central, integrated research areas that drive my public health research agenda include: 1) Community Engagement; 2) Infectious Disease Behavioral Science; and 3) Promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health. In order to adequately address public health issues, I believe it is crucial to conduct research grounded in the community and in strong theoretical and conceptual frameworks. My training in health behavior necessitates an understanding of both the individual and community context under which behaviors occur to promote health. While my research focuses primarily on adolescents and LGBTQ populations within each of these research areas, I endeavor to maintain a focus on diverse populations to consider how these complex issues are understood within specific cultural contexts. Methodologically I incorporate quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method designs as appropriate to the specific research question. The majority of my current research agenda focuses on HIV prevention and care particularly among marginalized populations.

CURRENT PROJECTS

• iTransition: Developing and Pilot Testing a Multilevel Technology-Based Intervention to Support Youth Living with HIV from Adolescent to Adult Care (R34MH116805)

o The goals of this project are to develop and pilot a multilevel mHealth intervention to support transition from pediatric/adolescent- to adult-oriented HIV care.

o Role: Principal Investigator

• Harnessing the Power of Peer Navigation and mHealth to Reduce Health Disparities in Appalachia (R01NR019512)

o This NINR-funded study is designed to develop, implement, and evaluate a social media intervention designed to increase HIV/HCV/SIT testing and improve linkage to and retention in care and health outcomes among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and transgender women living in Appalchia.

o Role: Principal Investigator

• itMatters: Engineering an Online STI Prevention Program (R01 AA022931)

o The goals of this NIAAA-funded project are to refine, implement, and evaluate an optimized online intervention targeting alcohol and sexual risk behaviors among college students in the US.

o Role: Co-Investigator

• ChiCAS: HIV Prevention among Latina Transgender Women Who Have Sex with Men: Evaluation of a Locally Developed Intervention (U01PS005137)

o The goals of this CDC-funded project are to enhance, fully implement, and rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of a locally developed small-group intervention designed to reduce the disproportionate HIV burden borne by, and increase access to transition-related healthcare services among, Latina transgender women.

o Role: Co-Investigator and Consortium PI

RECENTLY COMPLETED PROJECTS

• weCare: Tailored Use of Social Media to Improve Engagement and Retention in Care and Health Outcomes for MSM and Transgender Women with HIV (H97HA28896)

o The goal of this HRSA-funded project is to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate the findings from an innovative, tailored intervention designed to increase HIV testing and improve linkage to and retention in care and health outcomes among underserved, underinsured, and hard-to-reach, racially and ethnically diverse MSM, ages 13-34, with HIV.

o Role: Co-Investigator and Consortium PI

• CATCH/ATN 135: Comprehensive Assessment of Transition and Coordination for HIV-Positive Youth as they Move from Adolescent to Adult Care (U01HD040533-09S1)

o This NICHD-funded multi-method, longitudinal study examines the transition process for HIV-positive youth as they move from pediatric- and adolescent-specific to adult care at 14 clinical sites across the United States. To achieve this goal, we will characterize the transition process from the perspectives of HIV-positive youth, ATN clinic providers and program staff, and receiving adult clinic staff. Study is currently in the dissemination phase.

o Role: Principal Investigator

• ATN 093: Evaluation of SMILE in Caring for Youth: HIV Testing and Linkage-to-Care Collaboration (3U01 HD040533-09S1)

o The goal of Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) project was to determine program-level factors associated with the effectiveness of the Care Initiative – a strategic, multisite, initiative for the identification, linkage, and engagement in care for youth with newly diagnosed HIV at 15 Adolescent Medicine Trial Units clinical sites.

o Role: Co-Investigator

• Using CBPR to Reduce HIV Risk among Immigrant Latino MSM (R01MH087339)

o The goals of this CBPR study, funded by NIMH, were to refine, implement, and evaluate a culturally congruent lay health advisor intervention designed to reduce the disproportionate HIV burden borne by Latino MSM. Analysis is ongoing.

o Role: Co-Investigator

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Tanner AE, Mann-Jackson L, Song EY, Alonzo J, Schafer KR, Ware S*, Horridge DN, Garcia JM, Bell J, Arellano Hall Baker LS, Rhodes SD. Supporting health among young men who have sex with men and transgender women with HIV: Lessons learned from implementing the weCare intervention. Health Promotion Practice. In press 2020.

Tanner AE, Song EY, Mann-Jackson L, Alonzo J, Schafer K, Ware S*, Garcia JM, Arellano Hall E, Bell JC, Van Dam CN, & Rhodes SD (2018). Preliminary impact of the weCare social media intervention to support health for young men who have sex with men and transgender women with HIV. AIDS Patient Care & STDs. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 32(11); 450-458. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/apc.2018.0060

Tanner AE, Philbin MM, Chambers BD, Ma A, Hussen SA, Ware S*, Lee S, Fortenberry JD (2018). Healthcare transition for youth living with HIV: Outcomes from a prospective multi-site study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 63(2):157-165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.02.004

Straub DM & Tanner AE (2018). Health care transition from adolescent to adult services for HIV-infected youth. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 2(3):214-222. doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(18)30005-1.

Tanner AE, Philbin MM, Ma A*, Chambers BD*, Nichols S, Lee S, Fortenberry JD, & The Adolescent Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions. (2017). Adolescent to adult HIV healthcare transition from the perspective of adult providers in the United States. Journal of Adolescent Health, 61(4):434-439. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.05.011. PMID: 28754584

Rhodes SD, Alonzo J, Mann L, Song E, Tanner AE, Arellano JE, Rodriguez-Celedon R, Garcia JM, Freeman A, Reboussin BA, Painter TM. (2017). Small-group randomized controlled trial to increase condom use and HIV testing among Hispanic/Latino Gay, Bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. American Journal of Public Health, 107:969-976. PMID: 28426301; PMCID: PMC5425903

Rhodes SD, Mann-Jackson L, Alonzo J, Simán FM, Vissman AT, Nall J, Abraham C, Aronson RE, Tanner AE. Engaged for Change: A community-engaged process for developing interventions to reduce health disparities. AIDS Education and Prevention. 2017;29(6):491-502. PMCID: PMC5798238