Ayesha Appa
Dr. Ayesha Appa is a physician dually board-certified in Infectious Diseases & Addiction Medicine whose research focuses on identifying effective, patient-centered models of care to simultaneously manage HIV/serious infections and substance use disorders. As the first UCSF fellow to complete medical training in both aforementioned fields, Dr. Appa’s observational studies have helped identify opportunities to improve care for people who use drugs with HIV and other serious infections. She also has been one of the primary physicians working at Ward 86’s Women’s Health Center of Excellence (as well as Ward 86’s low-barrier POP-UP clinic serving people experiencing homelessness). This work has led to her current focus on expanding access to treatment for stimulant use disorder and supporting HIV medication adherence. As a BIRCWH scholar, Dr. Appa will be implementing and evaluating contingency management in the Women’s Clinic at the Ward 86 HIV clinic, adapting this incentive-based intervention to simultaneously support reduced stimulant use and improved HIV medication adherence. These results will inform the optimal integration of stimulant use disorder treatment into HIV/ID care settings while also centering the experience of women with HIV and stimulant use disorder.
Anita Hargrave
Dr. Anita Hargrave is a general internist who is committed to a career in patient-oriented research aimed at improving health outcomes for women and people who have experienced trauma through identifying and addressing gaps in care using implementation science strategies. As a fellow in the National Clinicians Scholars Program (NCSP) she used qualitative and quantitative methods to characterize the impact of trauma and interpersonal violence on women’s health. This work included evaluating the association between trauma and PTSD with cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is the leading cause of death and disability for women in the U.S. and yet, many women have inadequate control of traditional CVD risk factors. As a BIRCWH Scholar, Dr. Hargrave will evaluate the impact of trauma and other patient and system-level characteristics on treatment patterns and prevalence of CVD risk factors. The findings generated from this study will identify primary performance gaps in management of CVD risk factors for women and the factors that predict treatment and/or adherence to evidence-based interventions. The information will be used to create, adapt, and evaluate future health programs aimed at improving the cardiovascular health of women and incorporating trauma-informed cardiovascular care practices.
Kendria Kelly-Taylor
Dr. Kendria Kelly-Taylor is an epidemiologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Women’s and Children’s Health Section at Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s Division of Research. Her research focuses on advancing health equity by examining social and systemic factors that contribute to disparities in prenatal mental health, from diagnosis to treatment engagement, and identifying strengths-based factors that promote positive mental health, resilience, and well-being among pregnant and postpartum individuals. During her fellowship, Dr. Kelly-Taylor has leveraged electronic health record (EHR) data to examine racial, ethnic, and nativity-related disparities in prenatal depression. Her recent work includes exploring differences in clinical depression diagnosis and severity among racial and ethnic groups and assessing the association between residential segregation and prenatal depression risk. As a BIRCWH scholar, Dr. Kelly-Taylor will use predictive modeling techniques to derive EHR-based proxies that predict protective promoting factors (e.g., coping) and depression severity with the goal of translating these findings into an indicator that supports clinical care decisions. Additionally, she will explore patient perspective in best approach to implementing strength-based factors in prenatal care. This research seeks to enhance clinical care, reduce maternal mental health disparities, and promote equitable, person-centered care.
Megan McLaughlin
Dr. Megan McLaughlin is a cardiologist dedicated to improving heart health in women. She helped establish the UCSF Postpartum Cardiometabolic Wellness Clinic, where she sees patients as part of a multidisciplinary team of maternal-fetal medicine specialists and cardiologists. The clinic provides comprehensive postpartum care to women with adverse pregnancy outcomes, with the goal of reducing their long-term cardiovascular risk. Dr. McLaughlin serves on national committees within the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association related to heart disease prevention and social determinants of health. Her research focuses on designing programs to optimize health outcomes for women with preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy—conditions that significantly increase lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease. Home blood pressure monitoring in the postpartum period improves outcomes in this population. As a BIRCWH scholar, Dr. McLaughlin will use implementation science to study barriers and facilitators of postpartum home blood pressure monitoring. She will then work with patients and clinicians to design and evaluate programs to increase uptake of postpartum home blood pressure monitoring.