CIRA Qualitative Research Discussion Group (QRDG): "Reviews and Rebuttals to Qualitative Manuscript Submissions"

QRDG Overview:

The goal of the Qualitative Research Discussion Group (QRDG) is to provide opportunities for individuals involved in qualitative or mixed-methods research to meet regularly to discuss the qualitative research process and potentially problem-solve issues that may arise when engaged in qualitative research. Discussion topics include, but are not limited to: logistics, data management, analysis, dissemination, role of the researcher, and ethics. It is intended as a venue for discussing research in progress and new or relevant literature on qualitative methods and practice as well as to create networking opportunities and foster research collaborations. CIRA's Interdisciplinary Research Methods (IRM) Core Core member, Lauretta Grau, PhD, is coordinating the meetings. She can be reached at lauretta.grau@yale.edu.

Speaker Bios:

Adam Viera, Yale School of Public Health:

With over fifteen years of professional experience in the fields of HIV prevention and harm reduction, Mr. Viera has a demonstrated interest in improving the evidence around the effectiveness of interventions that prevent HIV transmission by addressing drug use. His particular research interests are in the design, adaptation, and evaluation of harm reduction interventions to address substance use and its health consequences. Mr. Viera is in his third year of the PhD program in Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale University. Formerly a pre-doctoral fellow with the Center on Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (T32MH02003116A1, Kershaw), he has conducted research focused on developing a social network intervention to promote uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention, under the guidance of Dr. Trace Kershaw. He has also worked on projects with Dr. Robert Heimer, developing and pilot testing an intervention to prevent hepatitis C virus reinfection and evaluating a pilot project continuing methadone treatment during incarceration among individuals with opioid use disorder.

Currently, Mr. Viera is working with Dr. E. Jen Edelman on an ongoing hybrid type-1 trial testing the effectiveness of a stepped care contingency management and navigation intervention (CoMPASS) on linking people who inject drugs to pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention and medications for opioid use disorder. He is also working with Dr. Kershaw on the RENEW project, which explores how contextual factors relate to return to alcohol use among individuals released from treatment for substance use disorders. Mr. Viera will build on this parent study to support his own NIAAA-funded research (1F31AA028992) to develop and pilot test an app-based intervention for individuals engaging in co-occurring alcohol and opioid use.

Danya Keene, Yale School of Public Health:

Danya Keene is an Associate Professor of Social Behavioral Sciences at the Yale School of Public Health. Her research examines housing and housing policy as determinants of population health equity. Moving beyond a focus on housing and individual health, her work considers how an ongoing history of racially discriminatory housing and urban policies have constrained housing access for non-white Americans, and thus contribute to racial health equity. Her work has examined a range of topics including public housing demolition, home foreclosure, the stigmatization of marginalized communities, and the housing experiences of formerly incarcerated individuals. Much of her current work is focused on examining the population health implications of the affordable rental housing crisis. For example, she is using local and nationally representative data to explore whether and how access to federal rental assistance can improve type 2 diabetes management and outcomes. In other work, she is investigating the impact of eviction prevention policies during the COVID 19 pandemic. Dr. Keene is recognized as an expert in qualitative methods and frequently employs both qualitative and quantitative approaches in her work. She teaches a core MPH course called Social Justice and Health Equity and is the founding director of YSPH's US Health Justice Concentration.