Lisa Bowleg, PhD

Adjunct Professor

General Info
Bio
Research & Publications

Departments and Research Centers

Community Health and Prevention

Research Focus

Behavioral HIV prevention with Black heterosexual men
Structural context (e.g., unemployment, incarceration, poverty, racial discrimination) of HIV risk in Black communities
Intersectionality (intersection of race, sex, secual orientation, etc.) in Black LGBT communities
Health Disparities
HIV/AIDS
Men's health
Urban health issues
Behavioral health
Gender and health
LGBT issues
Qualitative research
Women's health

Education

PhD, Applied Social Psychology, The George Washington University
MA, Applied Social Psychology, The George Washington University
MA, Public Policy Concentration in Women’s Studies, The George Washington University
BS, Psychology, Georgetown University

Awards and Honors

2008 Red Ribbon Award for Research, University of Pennsylvania Center for AIDS Research
National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program – Health Disparities Research, 2007-2009
Honorable Mention, Carolyn Payton Early Career Award, Society for the Psychology of Women, APA
Wayne F. Placek Investigator Development Award, American Psychological Foundation, 2004

Bio Abstract

Lisa Bowleg is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Prevention at the School of Public Health of Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. Her research, publications, and presentation focus on: (1) intersectionality, stress and resilience in the lives of Black, lesbian, gay bisexual and transgendered people; and (2) the effects of structural factors (e.g., racism, poverty, incarceration, unemployment), gender roles, and sexual scripts on HIV risk among Black heterosexual women and men. Her academic accomplishments include a Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology and a M.A. in Public Policy, with a concentration in Women’s Studies from The George Washington University, Washington, DC.

She is the Principal Investigator of a National Institutes of Health-funded R01 focused on how structural factors, masculinity ideologies, and sexual scripts increase and reduce HIV risk in Black heterosexual men. Her most recent award is the 2008 Red Ribbon Award for Research from the Community Advisory Board of the Center for AIDS Research at the University of Pennsylvania.

An advocate for qualitative methods, particularly with populations who have historically been invisible in social science research, qualitative and mixed methods (i.e., qualitative and quantitative methods) are integral to her research. She teaches courses on qualitative research and analysis and intersectionality and public health.

She is a member of the Behavioral and Social Consequences of HIV/AIDS Study Section of the National Institutes of Health, and a member of the American Public Health Association, the American Psychological Association, and a former Chair of the APA’s Committee on Psychology and AIDS.

Research Interests: HIV prevention research in Black/ African-American communities; social determinants of health; Black men's health; intersectionality; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health; qualitative research; mixed methods.

Recent Research

Bowleg (PI) 9/1/2011-6/30/2016 $1,615,125

1 R25 MD006792-01 NIH/NIMHD 1.20 academic Opening the Doors for Diverse Populations to Science Education

The major goal of this project is to educate and engage undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented minority programs in health disparities research in preparation for careers in public health, with an emphasis on health disparities. Years 1.20 academic

Bowleg (Co-I; PI: Malebranche) 9/30/09 – 6/30/2012 $1,531,205

1R01 NR011137-01A2 NIH/NINR 1.20 academic

The Role of Mental Health, Support and Coping on the HIV Risk Protective and Promoting Behaviors of Black Men in Georgia

This project is a mixed-methods study that seeks to explore and examine the role of demographic factors, mental health determinants and culturally-specific coping strategies on the HIV risk promoting and protective behaviors of a diverse group of Black men living in three distinct metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) in the state of Georgia.

Bowleg (PI) 9/1/07-8/30/10 (no cost extension through 6/30/12)

1 R01 HD054319-01 NIH/NICHD $1,770,915

Gender Role Norms, Sexual Scripts and Black Men's Heterosexual Risk Behaviors (REPRESENT)

The project will explore how Black men’s gender role norms and sexual scripts may relate to HIV risk, and use structural equation modeling to test a conceptual model of the effects of gender role norms, sexual scripts and social structural factors (i.e., poverty, racial discrimination, incarceration) on the heterosexual risk behaviors of Black MSW between the ages of 18 and 44 in Philadelphia, PA. Level of Effort: 40% (Academic & Summer): Years 01-03.

Bowleg (Consultant; PI: Ortiz-Torres) 9/30/10-6/30/2013

1 R01 MH082657-01 NIH/NICHD $1,786,857

Transforming Gender Role Norms, Normative Beliefs, and Sexual Practices among Puerto Rican Heterosexual Men

The proposed study will adapt, implement and evaluate an intervention using the Community Popular Opinion Leaders to promote transformations of normative beliefs and safer sex practices among Puerto Rican heterosexual men.

Selected Publications

Bowleg, L., Huang, J., Brooks, K., Black, A., & Burkholder, G. (2003). Triple jeopardy and beyond: Multiple minority stress and resilience among Black lesbians. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 7(4), 87-108.
Bowleg, L. (2004). Love, sex, and masculinity in sociocultural context: HIV concerns and condom use among African American men in heterosexual relationships. Men & Masculinities, 7(2),166-186.
Bowleg, L., Lucas, K.,J., & Tschann, J.M. (2004). “The ball was always in his court”: An exploratory analysis of relationship scripts, sexual scripts, and condom use among African American women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28(1), 70-82.
Bowleg, L., Craig, M., & Burkholder, G. (2004). Rising and surviving: A conceptual model of active coping among Black lesbians. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10(3), 229-240.
Bowleg, L., Brooks, K., & Ritz, S.F. (2008). “Bringing home more than a paycheck:” An exploratory analysis of Black lesbians’ experiences of stress and coping in the workplace, Journal of Lesbian Studies, 12(1) 69-84.
Bowleg, L. (2008). When Black + Woman + Lesbian? ≠ Black Lesbian Woman: The methodological challenges of qualitative and quantitative intersectionality research. Sex Roles, 59(5-6), 312-325.
Bowleg, L., Neilands, T.B., & Choi, K.H. (2008). Evaluating the validity and reliability of a modified Schedule of Sexist Events: Implications for public health research on women’s HIV risk behaviors. Women & Health, 47(2), 19-40.
Bowleg, L., Burkholder, G., Teti, M. & Craig, M. L. (2008). The complexities of outness: Psychosocial predictors of coming out to others among Black lesbian and bisexual women. Journal of LGBT Health Research, 4(4), 153-166.
Teti, M., Bowleg, L. & Spencer, S. (2009). Who helps the helpers? A clinical supervision model to support peers and health educators who deliver sexual risk reduction interventions to people living with HIV/AIDS. Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services, 8(4), 430-446.
Teti, M., Bowleg, L., Cole, R., Lloyd, L., Rubinstein, S., Spencer, S., Ricksecker, A.E., Berhane, Z. & Gold, M. (2010). A mixed methods evaluation of the effect of the Protect and Respect intervention on the condom use and disclosure practices of women living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS & Behavior, 14(3), 567-579.
Bowleg, L., Valera, P., Teti, M. & Tschann, J.M. (2010). Silences, gestures, and words: Nonverbal and verbal communication about HIV risk and condom use in Black/African American heterosexual relationships. Health Communication, 25(1), 1-11.
Bowleg, L., Teti, M., Massie, J., Patel, A., Malebranche, D.J. & Tschann, J.M. (2011). “What does it Take to be a Man? What is a real man?”: Black heterosexual men’s masculinity ideologies and sexual HIV risk. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 13(5), 545-559.
Teti, M., Martin, A.E., Randade, R., Massie, J., Malebranche, D.J., Tschann, J.M., & Bowleg, L. (2011). “I’m a keep rising. I’m a keep going forward, regardless ”: Exploring Black men’s resilient responses to socio-structural challenges and stressors. Qualitative Health Research. (Published online September 12, 2011 doi: 10.1177/1049732311422051)
Raj, A. & Bowleg, L. (2011). Heterosexual risk for HIV among Black men in the United States: A call to action against a neglected crisis in Black communities. American Journal of Men’s Health. (Published online August 10, 2011 doi: 10.1177/1557988311416496)
Choi, K. H., Bowleg, L., & Neilands, T. B. (2011). The effects of sexism, psychological distress, and difficult sexual situations on U.S. women's sexual risk behaviors. AIDS Education and Prevention, 23(5), 397-411. doi: 10.1521/aeap.2011.23.5.397
Bowleg, L. & Raj, A. (in press). Shared communities, structural contexts, and HIV risk: Prioritizing the HIV risk and prevention needs of Black heterosexual men. American Journal of Public Health.
Bowleg, L. (in press). The problem with the phrase “women and minorities”: Intersectionality, an important theoretical framework for public health. American Journal of Public Health.
Bowleg, L., Teti, M., Malebranche, D.J., & Tschann, J.M. (in press). “It’s an uphill battle everyday": Intersectionality and the implications of social-structural factors for sexual HIV risk among Black heterosexual men. Psychology of Men & Masculinity.
Bowleg, L., Burkholder, G.J., Massie,J.S., Wahome, R., Teti, M. Malebranche, D.J. & Tschann, J.M. (in press). Racial discrimination, social support, and sexual HIV risk among Black heterosexual men. AIDS & Behavior.

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