SBS Core group email: cfar-sbs-core-request@duke.edu
Amy Corneli, PhD, MPH, Core Director
amy.corneli@duke.edu
CFAR SBS focus area: Prevention
Dr. Amy Corneli is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Population Health Sciences and Medicine, and a faculty member of the Duke Clinical Research Institute. She has been engaged in the behavioral aspects of biomedical HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa since 2001, including contributing to several biomedical HIV prevention clinical trials and leading NIH-funded studies exploring sexual behaviors related to and adherence with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Dr. Corneli’s U.S.-based HIV-related research portfolio includes investigating methods to increase PrEP uptake and adherence among Black men who have sex with men (BMSM), and she currently leads two CFAR Administrative “Ending the HIV Epidemic” supplements with BMSM and Black women in the U.S. South.
In addition to her role as Director, Dr. Corneli will collaborate directly with the Biomedical Prevention Scientific Working Group and provide technical support to Core users on HIV prevention, primarily on PrEP. She also advises Core users on engaging key stakeholders in qualitative and mixed-methods research to inform clinical research, socio-behavioral interventions, and material and questionnaire development, and serves as the liaison to QualCore, a group of PhD- and master-level social scientists at Duke that provides technical support in qualitative research to Core users.
Christina Meade, PhD, Associate Director
christina.meade@duke.edu
CFAR SBS focus area: HIV comorbidities
Dr. Meade is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. Dr. Meade’s NIDA-funded research program investigates neurocognitive functioning and risk behavior among drug users living with or at high risk for HIV infection, including the evaluation of HIV prevention approaches for this population. As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Meade integrates neuroimaging, behavioral, and clinical methods, with the goal of translating results to novel treatments that improve neurobehavioral functioning. She currently leads a project funded through NIDA’s Avenir Award Program that utilizes mobile health technology to assess the relationship between decision-making processes and risky behaviors in natural settings. She also serves as PI on multiple R01 neuroimaging studies on the effects of cocaine, cannabis, and other drugs on HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment.
As an Associate Director, Dr. Meade provides technical support to Core users on HIV comorbidities, including HIV and substance use, mental health challenges, and other medical conditions. Her role also includes providing guidance for Core users on engaging hard-to-reach populations for HIV research; providing expertise on incorporating biomarkers into social and behavioral studies of HIV; conducting clinic-based recruitment; and abstracting clinical data from electronic medical records.
Michael Relf, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, Associate Director
michael.relf@duke.edu
CFAR SBS focus area: Care engagement and retention
Dr. Relf is an Associate Professor of Nursing and Global Health and Associate Dean for Global and Community Affairs in Duke’s School of Nursing. Dr. Relf has worked at the forefront of nurse-led research on the psychosocial aspects of HIV/AIDS care since joining the Duke faculty in 2008, with specific emphasis on addressing intimate partner violence, HIV-related stigma, and interventions to promote engagement in HIV-oriented primary care. Dr. Relf is currently a PI on a Fogarty R21 aimed at reducing internalized stigma among women with HIV in Tanzania and was a previous recipient of a CFAR Pilot Grant in Rwanda extending a similar intervention, building upon a past National Institute of Nursing Research project in the U.S. South.
As an Associate Director, Dr. Relf provides technical support to Core users on HIV care engagement and retention. In addition, he leads the CFAR’s growing collaboration with the School of Nursing, and assists investigators in developing global partnerships and disseminating research findings to international collaborators.
Sarah Wilson, PhD, Associate Director
sarah.wilson@duke.edu
CFAR SBS focus area: Community collaboration and engagement, and implementation science
Dr. Wilson is an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a Clinical Psychologist with the Durham VA Health Care System. She is also an investigator at the VA Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, and a 2018-2020 Fellow in the Implementation Research Institute at Washington University. Dr. Wilson’s research program focuses on testing and implementation of interventions for substance use, psychological symptoms, and health behavior change in at-risk populations, including an active research program in smoking cessation among Veterans Living with HIV. Dr. Wilson also has expertise in HIV community mobilization efforts, and has established valuable extensive networks with community organizations in the areas of health, policy, and human services.
As an Associate Director, Dr. Wilson provides technical support to Core users in the areas of community collaboration and engagement, and provides consultations on implementation science. She also advises on the development of training standards for community intervention study protocols, and assists with the development and dissemination of study findings to non-scientific communities.
Dani Coan, BSW, Core Coordinator
danielle.coan@duke.edu
Ms. Danielle (Dani) Coan is a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Department of Population Health Sciences. Ms. Coan has 4 years of research experience in different topics including working in industrial and systems engineering, specifically in disaster relief and resilience in food banks around North Carolina. She also worked on complex trauma in adolescents, resilience in refugees, and eating disorders in black women. Ms. Coan is a co-author on Covid-19 and Binge Eating in Black Women: A Qualitative Study and has published an article on Anorexia in Black Women. She has interests in qualitative analysis, literature reviews, and motivational interviews. Ms. Coan is particularly passionate about serving underrepresented populations and creating useful, accessible, and impactful research to help these communities.
Ms. Coan graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor's in Social Work and a minor in Theatre