Kathryn Lancaster, PhD, MPH

Dr. Lancaster is an infectious disease and substance use epidemiologist who focuses on reducing global health disparities among populations made vulnerable, particularly those who engage in sex work and people who use drugs. Her research examines and evaluates interventions addressing the interrelationships between gender, substance use (e.g., drugs and alcohol), and blood-borne and sexually-transmitted infections. Dr. Lancaster’s work has resulted in over 50 peer-reviewed papers featured numerous journals, including the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS), Lancet, International Journal of Drug Policy, PLoS One, and the Journal of Medical Ethics. She has received funding as a Principal Investigator (PI), site PI, and study PI through NIDA, NIMH, NIAID, and NCATS. Since 2017, Dr. Lancaster has chaired the Substance Use Working Group within the International Epidemiological Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) Network, working with IeDEA regional representatives as well as program staff from NIAID, NIMH, NICHD, NIAAA, and NIDA, to generate real-world evidence on substance use and HIV reporting. She also teach courses on global health, epidemiological methods, scientific writing, study design, and grant development.

Current funded research:

• Principal Investigator, K01 DA048174: The role of injection partnerships and preferences for reducing HCV risk: Giving a voice to young women in rural Appalachia
• Principal Investigator, R21DA053708: Measuring resilience to intersectional stigma for people who inject drugs in need of HIV prevention
• Site Principal Investigator; MPIs: Korthuis/Young, U01TR002631: Peer-based Retention Of people who Use Drugs in Rural Research (PROUD-R2)
• Co-Investigator, MPIs: Anastos/Nash/Yotebieng, U01AI096299: Central Africa International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (CA-IeDEA)
• Co-Investigator, MPIs: Go/Miller; R01DA047876: Scaling up HPTN 074: A Cluster Randomized Implementation Trial of an Evidence-Based Intervention for Antiretroviral Therapy for PWID in Vietnam
• Co-Investigator, PI: Bunger; R34DA046913: Collaborating to implement cross-system interventions in child welfare and substance use

design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral and multilevel interventions to reduce substance use and engage those living with HIV/HCV into the continuum of care

• PhD, Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2015
• MPH, Epidemiology, Tulane University, 2009
• BS, Veterinary Science, University of Arizona, 2007

• PUBHEPI 7410: Epidemiology II

Lancaster KE, Hoffman IF, Hanscom B, Ha TV, Dumchev K, Susami H, Rose S, Go VF, Reifeis SA, Mollan KR, Hudgens MG, Piwowar-Manning EM, Richardson P, Dvoriak S, Djoerban Z, Kiriazova T, Zeziulin O, Djauzi S, Ahn CV, Latkin C, Metzger D, Burns DN, Sugarman J, Strathdee SA, Eshleman SH, Clarke W, Donnell D, Emel L, Sunner LE, McKinstry L, Sista N, Hamilton EL, Lucas JP, Duong BD, Van Vuong N, Sarasvita R, Miller WC; HPTN 074 Study Team.. Regional differences between people who inject drugs in an HIV prevention trial integrating treatment and prevention (HPTN 074): a baseline analysis. J Int AIDS Soc. 2018 Oct;21(10):e25195. doi: 10.1002/jia2.25195. 

Lancaster KE, MacLean SA, Lungu T, Mmodzi P, Hosseinipour MC, Hershow RB, Powers KA, Pence BW, Hoffman IF, Miller WC, Go VF. Socioecological factors of hazardous alcohol use among female sex workers in Lilongwe, Malawi: a mixed methods study. Substance Use and Misuse. 2018 Apr 16;53(5):782-791. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2017.1365088. 

Lancaster KE, Go VF, Lungu T, Hosseinipour MC, Chadwick K, Pence BW, Powers, KA, Hoffman IF, Miller WC. Substance use and awareness of HIV infection among HIV-infected female sex workers in Lilongwe, Malawi. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2016 Apr; 30, 124- 131. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.02.020.

Miller WC, Hoffman IF, Hanscom BS, Ha TV, Dumchev K, Djoerban Z, Rose SM, Latkin CA, Metzger DS, Lancaster KE, Go VF, Dvoriak S, Mollan KR, Reifeis SA, Piwowar-Manning EM, Richardson P, Hudgens MG, Hamilton EL, Sugarman J, Eshleman SH, Susami H, Chu VA, Djauzi S, Kiriazova T, Bui DD, Strathdee SA, Burns DN. A scalable, integrated intervention to engage people who inject drugs in HIV care and medication-assisted treatment (HPTN 074): a randomised, controlled phase 3 feasibility and efficacy study. Lancet. 2018 Sep 1;392(10149):747-759. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31487-9. 

Lancaster KE, Hetrick A, Jaquet A, Adedimeji A, Atwoli L, Colby DJ, Mayor AM, Parcesepe A, Syvertsen J. Substance use and universal access to HIV testing and treatment in sub-Saharan Africa: implications and research priorities. J Virus Erad. 2018 Nov 15;4(Suppl 2):26-32.

Blackburn NA, Lancaster KE, Ha TVa, Latkin CA, Miller WC, Frangakis C, Chu VA, Sripaipan T, Quan VM, Minh NL, Vu PT, Go VF. Characteristics of Persons who Inject Drugs and who are Witness to Multiple Opioid Overdoses in Vietnam. Harm Reduction. 2017 Sep 7;14(1):62. doi: 10.1186/s12954-017-0188-4.

Lancaster KE, Powers KA, Lungu T, Mmodzi P, Hosseinipour MC, Chadwick K, Go VF, Pence BW, Hoffman IF, Miller WC. The HIV care continuum among female sex workers, a key population in Lilongwe, Malawi. PLoS One. 2016 Jan 25; 11(1): e0147662. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147662.

Dawson L, Strathdee SA, London A, Lancaster KE, Klitzman R, Hoffman I, Rose S, Sugarman J. Addressing Ethical Challenges in Research on HIV Prevention with People who Inject Drugs. Journal of Medical Ethics, 2016 Apr 25. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2015-102895.

Wood D, Lancaster KE, Boily MC, Powers KA, Donnell D, Cohen MS, Dimitrov DT. Recruitment of female sex workers in HIV prevention trials: Can efficacy endpoints be reached more efficiently? J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2018 Apr 1;77(4):350-357. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000001603.

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