Gina Wingood, ScD, MPH

Co-Director, HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies
Endowed Sidney and Helaine Lerner Professor of Public Health Promotion, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health (MSPH), Columbia University

Email: gw2326@cumc.columbia.edu

Gina M. Wingood, ScD, MPH, is an African American scholar and an internationally recognized expert in HIV/AIDS prevention and social determinants of HIV among African Americans. Dr. Wingood has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers and has served as PI or Co-PI on more than 20 NIH-funded grants. Dr. Wingood’s research has examined social determinants of HIV risk primarily among African American women, and she has conducted numerous randomized controlled trials to reduce HIV vulnerability. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have widely disseminated Dr. Wingood’s evidenced-based HIV prevention interventions (EBIs) for African American women, African American teen girls, Latina women, and women living with HIV. Currently, Dr. Wingood is MPI for the Atlanta site, on the NIH-funded MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study (U01HL146241). For the decade preceding 2020, Dr. Wingood served as PI or Multiple PI (MPI) on numerous NIH-funded studies, including the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (U01AI103408), Faith-based HIV Prevention for Women (R01MD004117), NIMH Multisite HIV/STD Prevention Trial for African-American Couples (U10 MH064393), National Survey on HIV Risk for African-American and White Women (R01HD041716), and HIV Prevention for Xhosa Speaking Women in South Africa (P30 A1050409). Prior to her appointment at Columbia University, Dr. Wingood was the Agnes Moore Endowed Faculty of HIV, Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health. During her tenure at Emory University, Dr. Wingood served as Director or Co-Director of the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), Prevention Core (P30AI0504) for 15 years. Dr. Wingood also serves as an Executive Director (one of the founding members) for the NIH-funded (R13 HD 074468) Social Behavioral Science Research Network (SBSRN). Established in 2005, SBSRN aims to enhance mentorship among early-career (including pre-doctoral students) social-behavioral, and biomedical scientists in HIV research. From 2017 to 2021, Dr. Wingood is the PI/Director of the NIGMS-funded training program (R25 GM062454-13) Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD). This grant is currently in a no-cost extension. The aims of the IMSD program were to develop a research workforce of under- represented pre-doctoral students in public health. As Director of the MSPH-wide program, Dr. Wingood oversaw recruitment of underrepresented pre-doctoral students, hosted a seminar series, mentored nine pre-doctoral fellows a year, and oversaw a budget that provided partial tuition and conference funding for pre-doctoral trainees. Currently, Dr. Wingood is PI/Director of the NIH-funded T32 on Social Determinants of HIV. This program is very similar to the IMSD but focuses training efforts on HIV prevention. Current research grants are described in greater detail below:

Social Determinants of HIV – Predoctoral Training Grant (T32MH128395; Wingood [PI]). The grant is a research training program located in the department of Sociomedical Sciences (SMS). As an interdisciplinary program the fellowship provides funding to doctoral students pursuing their PhD in the Departments of Sociomedical Sciences, Epidemiology, Population and Family Health, and Biostatistics. This program prepares students for research and teaching careers addressing HIV structural interventions and social determinants such as structural racism, stigma, residential segregation, COVID-19, and other marginalizing structures, particularly as they influence HIV.

Atlanta MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study Clinical Research Site - (U01 HL146241; Ofotokun/Sheth/Wingood (MPI)). The MWCCS is a collaborative research effort that aims to understand and reduce the impact of chronic health conditions – including heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders that affect people living with HIV. This study is designed to investigate a spectrum of questions relating to the basic science, clinical sciences, behavioral sciences, and epidemiology of HIV infection in the U.S., with a focus on comorbidities among men and women living with HIV. The MWCCS combines two longstanding, longitudinal studies, MACS was a study of gay and bisexual men, while WIHS was a study of women who had other risk factors for HIV. Participants are enrolled in 13 MACS/WIHS clinical research sites (CRS) in addition to recruiting new participants with characteristics that reflect the U.S. population living with HIV or at risk of HIV.

Examining Social Ecological and Network Factors to Assess Epidemiological Risk in a Large National Cohort of Cisgender Women (R01AI172469; Schnall/Johnson/Kempf [MPI]; Role: Co-Investigator). This study aims to establish a cohort of 1,800 racially and ethnically diverse cis-gender women vulnerable to HIV to identify theoretically driven correlates of HIV seroconversion, STI incidence, and predictors of PrEP uptake. The study aims to examine, individual-level factors, social network vulnerabilities; stigma; discrimination and geospatial vulnerabilities (abortion bans; PrEP payments, access to free condoms) that influence HIV among women.

EDUCATION

Boston University, Boston, MA
BA - 1985 - Biology

University of California, Berkley, CA
MPH - 1990 - Maternal and Child Health

Harvard University
ScD - 1995 - Society and Health

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2022 – Present Member, Provost’s Advisory Council for the Enhancement of Faculty Diversity, CU

2022 – Present Member, Community Advisory Council, CU

2021 – Present Director, T32 Social Determinants of HIV

2018 – 2021 Director, Initiative for Maximizing Student Development

2017 – 2020 Committee Member, Tenure Review Advisory Committee (TRAC), Columbia University

2015 – Present Director, Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion, MSPH

2015 – Present Director, Health Communications Certificate, MSPH

2015 – Present Adjunct Professor, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University