Ruanne V Barnabas

Biographic Data

ID221010
NAMERuanne V Barnabas
GIVEN NAMESRuanne V
FAMILY NAMEBarnabas
SIGNATUREBARNABAS R V
AFFILIATIONSUniversity of Washington
ORCID0000-0002-1793-6003
VERIFIEDYes
TOTAL WORKS24
TOTAL CITATIONS4
AUTHOR COUNT24
EDITOR COUNT0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2015
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2026
H-INDEX2

  • Individual-level HPV vaccination verification in Botswana

    Open AccessSwetha Bindu Jammalamadugu, Lesedi Tirelo et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Public Health2026

    The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated 660,000 new cervical cancer cases and 350,000 deaths globally in 2022, with over 90% occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Global elimination targets call for vaccination of >90% of girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) by age 15 by 2030. While Botswana's national policy aligns with these targets, progress monitoring is constrained by fragmented, predominantly paper-based health in…

  • Cross-sectional study evaluating organizational climate, change commitment, and change efficacy for predicting family planning clinics’ success in increasing HIV counseling and testing in Mombasa, Ken…

    Open AccessChipo Natasha Kwendakwema, McKenna C Eastment et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2025

    Increasing HIV testing and counselling (HTC) is a first step to reducing HIV transmission. Implementing HTC in family planning (FP) clinics has been proposed to increase HIV testing coverage in at-risk populations. The Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) was used to improve HTC rates in FP clinics in Mombasa, Kenya. This hypothesis-generating exploratory analysis evaluated the associations between organizational climate characteristi…

  • Navigating HIV care in a mobile society

    Nsika Sithole, Busisiwe Nkosi et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2025

    In South Africa, people living with HIV (PWH) often relocate for work and family obligations, which creates unique challenges for continuous HIV care. We explored the experiences of mobile individuals living with HIV navigating clinic transfers without formal letters. A qualitative study was conducted with PWH on antiretroviral therapy (ART) from two clinics in KwaZulu-Natal. Participants, who had not disclosed their HIV treatment history at regi…

  • Exploring Adolescents’ Contraceptive Preferences and Trade‐Offs

    Open AccessElizabeth K Harrington, Dismas Congo Ouma et al.ARTICLEStudies in Family Planning2025References: 67

    A focus on contraceptive preferences is essential to the provision of person‐centered care. Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in the WHO African Region experience disparities in contraceptive access and use and reproductive health outcomes. Despite increasing recognition of AGYW needs as unique, their preferences are understudied, limiting strategies to improve contraceptive care access and quality among marginalized youth populations. We d…

  • Modeled estimates of HIV-serodifferent couples in tuberculosis-affected households in four sub-Saharan African countries

    Open AccessMeixin Zhang, Ashley S Tseng et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2024

    Household-based tuberculosis (TB) contact evaluation may be an efficient strategy to reach people who could benefit from oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) because of the epidemiological links between HIV and TB. This study estimated the number of HIV serodifferent couples in TB-affected households and potential HIV acquisitions averted through their PrEP use in 4 TB-HIV high-burden countries. We conducted a model-based analysis set in Ethiopia…

  • Development and empirical test of the research‐informed South African Relationship Functioning Assessment ( Sarfa )

    Open AccessJennifer M Belus, Abigail C Hines et al.ARTICLEPersonal Relationships2024

    Intimate partners play an important role in chronic diseases. Despite the chronic disease burden in sub‐Saharan Africa, very few culturally relevant quantitative measures of intimate relationship functioning are available. We conducted an empirical investigation evaluating the psychometric properties of the South African Relationship Functioning Assessment (SARFA) assessing healthy relationship functioning in N = 150 community members (50% women;…

  • Concordance between Sars-CoV-2 index individuals and their household contacts on index individual Covid-19 transmission cofactors

    Open AccessAngela M Dahl, Clare Brown et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2024

    Our results suggest a need to survey index individuals directly in order to accurately capture their transmission cofactors, rather than relying on their household contacts to report on their behavior. The lag in enrolling participants into CoVPN 3502-01 also highlights the importance of timely enrollment to minimize recall bias

  • I Didn’t Reveal My ART Status Because I Didn’t Have Money to Fetch the Transfer Letter”– Understanding Lack of Treatment Disclosure at Presentation to Care in South Africa

    Open AccessNsika Sithole, Busisiwe Nkosi et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2024

    We explored why people may not reveal their antiretroviral therapy (ART) status when presenting for HIV care, and how a linked electronic system may help address this phenomenon. Data were collected from March to October 2023 from people who presented to clinics for an HIV test in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa but found to be on ART, as well from staff at those clinics. Themes drawn from the Andersen's health service utilization framework and the d…

  • Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Validation of the Sexual and Reproductive Empowerment Scale for Adolescents and Young Adults in Kenya

    Open AccessYasaman Zia, Ushma D Upadhyay et al.ARTICLEStudies in Family Planning2024Cited by: 2References: 40

    Understanding the levels of power that adolescent girls and young women exercise in their sexual and reproductive lives is imperative to inform interventions to help them meet their goals. We implemented an adapted version of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Empowerment (SRE) Scale for Adolescents and Young Adults among 500 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–20 in Kisumu, Kenya. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess factor …

  • Population health impact, cost-effectiveness, and affordability of community-based HIV treatment and monitoring in South Africa

    Open AccessMaitreyi Sahu, Cara J Bayer et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2023

    Community-based delivery and monitoring of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV has the potential to increase viral suppression for individual- and population-level health benefits. However, the cost-effectiveness and budget impact are needed for public health policy. We used a mathematical model of HIV transmission in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to estimate population prevalence, incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) …

  • Adaptation of the sexual and reproductive empowerment scale for adolescents and young adults in Kenya

    Open AccessElizabeth K Harrington, Ouma Congo et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2023

    Measuring empowerment is critical to understanding the level of control adolescents and young adults (AYA) have over their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) behaviors, and could provide a key window into addressing their unique SRH needs. We adapted the Sexual and Reproductive Empowerment (SRE) scale for AYA for use in an East African context. This multi-method qualitative study sampled 15–23 year-old female adolescents and young adults in Kis…

  • Secondary Distribution of HIV Self-Testing Kits to Social and Sexual Networks of PLWH in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A Brief Report

    Open AccessNsika Sithole, Olivier Koole et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Public Health2022

    Background: To reach 95% of persons living with HIV (PLWH) knowing their HIV status, alternative testing approaches such as HIV self-testing (HIVST) and secondary HIVST kit distribution are needed. We investigated if secondary HIVST kit distribution from male and female PLWH in South Africa would successfully lead to their contacts testing for HIV and linking to care if positive. Methods: Male and female PLWH participating in an HIV treatment tri…

  • Evaluation of Women's Empowerment in a Community-Based Human Papillomavirus Self-Sampling Social Entrepreneurship Program (Hope Project) in Peru

    Open AccessMichelle Shin, Michelle B Shin et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Public Health2022

    Introduction Understanding community women's relational and financial empowerment in social entrepreneurship could be the key to scaling up community-based human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling programs in low- and middle-income countries. The Hope Project, social entrepreneurship in Peru, trains women (Hope Ladies) to promote HPV self-sampling among other women in their communities. This study aims to evaluate the Hope Ladies' relational and …

  • “I think it’s communication and trust and sharing everything”

    Open AccessJennifer M Belus, Valerie D Bradley et al.ARTICLEFamily Process2022

    In South Africa, couple‐based interventions (CBIs) have been used to increase HIV testing, reduce HIV transmission, and shift relationship dynamics. To understand local definitions of healthy relationships, this study sought to collect qualitative data on a model of healthy relationships in a semi‐rural area of KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa. We conducted semi‐structured qualitative interviews with HIV‐positive women ( n = 15) and men of mixed HIV s…

  • Trajectories of Oral PrEP Adherence Among Young Kenyan Women

    Open AccessNicholas Musinguzi, Maria Pyra et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2022

  • Implementation of HIV Self-Testing to Reach Men in Rural uMkhanyakude, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. a DO-ART Trial Sub Study

    Open AccessNsika Sithole, M Shahmanesh et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Public Health2021

    Background: KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates globally. Persons <35 years and men have lower rates of HIV testing. HIV self-testing (HIVST) may overcome many barriers of facility-based HIV testing in order to identify HIV positive young persons and men and link them to care. We investigated whether HIVST distribution was a feasible approach to reach men and assessed the proportion of participants who reported…

  • A Framework for Cervical Cancer Elimination in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries

    Open AccessMichelle Shin, Michelle B Shin et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Public Health2021

    The World Health Organization announced an ambitious call for cervical cancer elimination worldwide. With existing prevention and treatment modalities, cervical cancer elimination is now within reach for high-income countries. Despite limited financing and capacity constraints in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), prevention and control efforts can be supported through integrated services and new technologies. We conducted this scoping revi…

  • HIV self-testing

    Open AccessAnkur Gupta-Wright, Ruanne V Barnabas et al.ARTICLEBMJ Global Health2021

    box HIV self-testing (HIVST) has shifted the paradigm for HIV testing, the first step in the care continuum. Although HIVST, whereby the person performs the test and interprets the results, was conceived early in the HIV epidemic, wider access to HIVST in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) is a recent phenomenon. A decade ago, large-scale HIVST use was limited due to concerns about accuracy, feasibility and safety. Through coordinatio…

  • Undisclosed Antiretroviral Therapy Use at Primary Health Care Clinics in Rural KwaZulu Natal South Africa

    Open AccessNsika Sithole, Resign Gunda et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2021

    Accurate reporting of antiretroviral therapy (ART) uptake is crucial for measuring the success of epidemic control. Programs without linked electronic medical records are susceptible to duplicating ART initiation events. We assessed the prevalence of undisclosed ART use at the time of treatment initiation and explored its correlates among people presenting to public ambulatory clinics in South Africa. Data were analyzed from the community-based d…

  • HIV pre‐exposure prophylaxis for adolescent girls and young women in Africa

    Open AccessConnie Celum, Sinead Delany-Moretlwe et al.ARTICLEJournal of the International AIDS…2019

  • Washington state satellite HIV clinic program

    Brian R Wood, Christopher Bell et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2018

    To improve access to high-quality HIV care in underserved regions of Western Washington (WA) State, we collaborated with the WA State Department of Health (DOH) and community partners to launch four satellite HIV clinics. Here, we describe this innovative clinical care model, present an estimate of costs, and evaluate patient care outcomes, including virologic suppression rates. To accomplish this, we assessed virologic suppression rates 12 month…

  • Perceived mHealth barriers and benefits for home-based HIV testing and counseling and other care

    Open AccessAlastair Van Heerden, Danielle M Harris et al.ARTICLESocial Science & Medicine2017Cited by: 2References: 35

  • Empowering patients to link to care and treatment

    Lucia Knight, Lucia C Knight et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2015

    To explore the barriers and facilitators of linkage to and retention in care amongst persons who tested positive for HIV, qualitative research was conducted in a home-based HIV counselling and testing (HBCT) project with interventions to facilitate linkages to HIV care in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The intervention tested 1272 adults for HIV in Vulindlela of whom 32% were HIV positive, received point-of-care (POC) CD4 testing and referral…

  • If you are circumcised, you are the best’

    Hilton Humphries, Heidi Van Rooyen et al.ARTICLECulture Health & Sexuality2015

    While the uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is increasing, South Africa has only attained 20% of its target to circumcise 80% of adult men by 2015. Understanding the factors influencing uptake is essential to meeting these targets. This qualitative study reports on findings from focus-group discussions with men in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, about what factors influence their perceptions of VMMC. The study found that VMM…