Bradley E Silberzahn
Biographic Data
| ID | 5875309 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bradley E Silberzahn |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bradley E |
| FAMILY NAME | Silberzahn |
| SIGNATURE | SILBERZAHN B E |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Texas at Austin |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9263-0023 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 20 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Police experiences with cannabis legalization and perceptions of broader drug policy reform
Experiences of a drug decriminalization policy among police and people who use drugs in Baltimore City
Drug decriminalization aims to reduce the harms of punitive enforcement while improving police-community relations. Baltimore City implemented de facto decriminalization in 2020, declining to prosecute simple drug possession cases. We examined perspectives of 26 people who use drugs (PWUD) and 22 police officers on policy impacts using semi-structured interviews conducted in 2023–2024. Using post-structural policy analysis, we explored support fo…
Navigating US illicit drug market volatility
The US illicit drug market is increasingly unreliable, with new and often harmful adulterants contributing to overdose risk among people who use drugs. In this context, it is crucial to examine whether people who inject drugs (PWID) are aware of these changes and if so, how they are adapting to inform harm reduction interventions and programs. In-depth interviews were conducted with 23 PWID between July 2022 and January 2023. Interviews explored …
Perceptions of a community-based HIV/STI testing program among Black gay, bisexual, and other MSM in Baltimore
Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) are disproportionately affected by HIV and STIs. Safe Spaces 4 Sexual Health (SS4SH), a community-informed, status-neutral HIV/STI testing intervention combines online outreach via geo-social networking apps and social media with mobile van testing. During 2018-2019, we recruited 25 participants for interviews about their perceptions of SS4SH compared to clinic-based testing. Particip…
PWUD Experiences of Criminal Justice Reform
In this paper we explore people who use drugs (PWUD) perceptions and experiences of drug-related law enforcement in a major U.S. city. Maryland recently implemented several harm reduction policies/interventions aiming to improve PWUD-police relationships, such as the Good Samaritan Law (GSL), intended to avoid criminalizing police encounters with PWUD in cases of overdose. PWUD, though most impacted by these efforts, are seldom included in the de…
The role of local business employees and community members in the HIV risk environment of female sex workers in an urban setting
Results show that both actors play important roles in FSWs' HIV risk environment. Businesses and community members are important targets for holistic HIV prevention interventions among FSW in communities where they coexist in close proximity
Conceptualizing overdose trauma
“An ethnographic exploration of factors that drive policing of street-based female sex workers in a U.S. setting - identifying opportunities for intervention”
BACKGROUND: Building on a broader sociological discourse around policing approaches towards vulnerable populations, increasing public health and human rights evidence points to policing practices as a key health determinant, particularly among street-based sex workers. Despite the importance of policing as a structural health determinant, few studies have sought to understand the factors that underlie and shape harmful policing practices towards …
Barriers and facilitators to retaining a cohort of street-based cisgender female sex workers recruited in Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Retention of street-based female sex workers required the simultaneous use of diverse retention strategies that were tailored to participant characteristics. With familiarity of the dynamic nature of the study population characteristics, resources can be appropriately allocated to strategies most likely to result in successful retention
Resilience among Cisgender and Transgender Women in Street-Based Sex Work in Baltimore, Maryland
Exposure to Police and Client Violence Among Incarcerated Female Sex Workers in Baltimore City, Maryland
Objectives. To determine the rate and correlates of incarceration among street-based female sex workers (FSWs). Methods. From April 2016 to January 2017, FSWs (n = 250) in Baltimore City, Maryland, were enrolled in a 12-month prospective cohort study. We analyzed baseline data and used zero-inflated negative binomial regression to model the incarceration rate. Results. Overall, 70% of FSWs had ever been incarcerated (mean = 15 times). In the mult…
Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Construct Validity of the Internalized Sex Work Stigma Scale among a Cohort of Cisgender Female Sex Workers in Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Internalized sex work stigma among cisgender female sex workers (FSW) is produced within contexts of social marginalization and associated with a range of ill-effects, including psychological distress, and lower rates of healthcare-seeking. This study seeks to uncover latent domains of the new Internalized Sex Work Stigma Scale (ISWSS) using data from 367 FSW in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The sample was 56% white with high substance use (82% smoke…
Inconsistent Condom Use Among Female Sex Workers
Police-Related Correlates of Client-Perpetrated Violence Among Female Sex Workers in Baltimore City, Maryland
Objectives. To characterize interactions that female sex workers (FSWs) have with the police and explore associations with client-perpetrated violence. Methods. Baseline data were collected April 2016 to January 2017 from 250 FSWs from the Sex Workers and Police Promoting Health in Risky Environments (SAPPHIRE) study based in Baltimore, Maryland. Interviewer-administered questionnaires captured different patrol or enforcement and abusive police e…
Implementing Targeted Sampling
Globally, HIV prevention interventions have proven efficacious among street-based female sex workers (FSWs); yet, there is a dearth of US-based HIV prevention research among this group. The lack of research among FSWs in the USA is partially driven by challenges in recruiting members of this population. The purpose of this research is to describe how targeted sampling was employed to recruit a cohort of street-based FSWs for a study that examined…
Police-Related Correlates of Client-Perpetrated Violence Among Female Sex Workers in Baltimore City, Maryland
Objectives. To characterize interactions that female sex workers (FSWs) have with the police and explore associations with client-perpetrated violence. Methods. Baseline data were collected April 2016 to January 2017 from 250 FSWs from the Sex Workers and Police Promoting Health in Risky Environments (SAPPHIRE) study based in Baltimore, Maryland. Interviewer-administered questionnaires captured different patrol or enforcement and abusive police e…
Implementing Targeted Sampling
Globally, HIV prevention interventions have proven efficacious among street-based female sex workers (FSWs); yet, there is a dearth of US-based HIV prevention research among this group. The lack of research among FSWs in the USA is partially driven by challenges in recruiting members of this population. The purpose of this research is to describe how targeted sampling was employed to recruit a cohort of street-based FSWs for a study that examined…
Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Construct Validity of the Internalized Sex Work Stigma Scale among a Cohort of Cisgender Female Sex Workers in Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Internalized sex work stigma among cisgender female sex workers (FSW) is produced within contexts of social marginalization and associated with a range of ill-effects, including psychological distress, and lower rates of healthcare-seeking. This study seeks to uncover latent domains of the new Internalized Sex Work Stigma Scale (ISWSS) using data from 367 FSW in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The sample was 56% white with high substance use (82% smoke…
PWUD Experiences of Criminal Justice Reform
In this paper we explore people who use drugs (PWUD) perceptions and experiences of drug-related law enforcement in a major U.S. city. Maryland recently implemented several harm reduction policies/interventions aiming to improve PWUD-police relationships, such as the Good Samaritan Law (GSL), intended to avoid criminalizing police encounters with PWUD in cases of overdose. PWUD, though most impacted by these efforts, are seldom included in the de…
Exposure to Police and Client Violence Among Incarcerated Female Sex Workers in Baltimore City, Maryland
Objectives. To determine the rate and correlates of incarceration among street-based female sex workers (FSWs). Methods. From April 2016 to January 2017, FSWs (n = 250) in Baltimore City, Maryland, were enrolled in a 12-month prospective cohort study. We analyzed baseline data and used zero-inflated negative binomial regression to model the incarceration rate. Results. Overall, 70% of FSWs had ever been incarcerated (mean = 15 times). In the mult…
Implementing Targeted Sampling
Globally, HIV prevention interventions have proven efficacious among street-based female sex workers (FSWs); yet, there is a dearth of US-based HIV prevention research among this group. The lack of research among FSWs in the USA is partially driven by challenges in recruiting members of this population. The purpose of this research is to describe how targeted sampling was employed to recruit a cohort of street-based FSWs for a study that examined…
Inconsistent Condom Use Among Female Sex Workers
Police-Related Correlates of Client-Perpetrated Violence Among Female Sex Workers in Baltimore City, Maryland
Objectives. To characterize interactions that female sex workers (FSWs) have with the police and explore associations with client-perpetrated violence. Methods. Baseline data were collected April 2016 to January 2017 from 250 FSWs from the Sex Workers and Police Promoting Health in Risky Environments (SAPPHIRE) study based in Baltimore, Maryland. Interviewer-administered questionnaires captured different patrol or enforcement and abusive police e…
“An ethnographic exploration of factors that drive policing of street-based female sex workers in a U.S. setting - identifying opportunities for intervention”
BACKGROUND: Building on a broader sociological discourse around policing approaches towards vulnerable populations, increasing public health and human rights evidence points to policing practices as a key health determinant, particularly among street-based sex workers. Despite the importance of policing as a structural health determinant, few studies have sought to understand the factors that underlie and shape harmful policing practices towards …
Barriers and facilitators to retaining a cohort of street-based cisgender female sex workers recruited in Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Retention of street-based female sex workers required the simultaneous use of diverse retention strategies that were tailored to participant characteristics. With familiarity of the dynamic nature of the study population characteristics, resources can be appropriately allocated to strategies most likely to result in successful retention
Resilience among Cisgender and Transgender Women in Street-Based Sex Work in Baltimore, Maryland
Exposure to Police and Client Violence Among Incarcerated Female Sex Workers in Baltimore City, Maryland
Objectives. To determine the rate and correlates of incarceration among street-based female sex workers (FSWs). Methods. From April 2016 to January 2017, FSWs (n = 250) in Baltimore City, Maryland, were enrolled in a 12-month prospective cohort study. We analyzed baseline data and used zero-inflated negative binomial regression to model the incarceration rate. Results. Overall, 70% of FSWs had ever been incarcerated (mean = 15 times). In the mult…
Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Construct Validity of the Internalized Sex Work Stigma Scale among a Cohort of Cisgender Female Sex Workers in Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Internalized sex work stigma among cisgender female sex workers (FSW) is produced within contexts of social marginalization and associated with a range of ill-effects, including psychological distress, and lower rates of healthcare-seeking. This study seeks to uncover latent domains of the new Internalized Sex Work Stigma Scale (ISWSS) using data from 367 FSW in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The sample was 56% white with high substance use (82% smoke…
The role of local business employees and community members in the HIV risk environment of female sex workers in an urban setting
Results show that both actors play important roles in FSWs' HIV risk environment. Businesses and community members are important targets for holistic HIV prevention interventions among FSW in communities where they coexist in close proximity
Conceptualizing overdose trauma
PWUD Experiences of Criminal Justice Reform
In this paper we explore people who use drugs (PWUD) perceptions and experiences of drug-related law enforcement in a major U.S. city. Maryland recently implemented several harm reduction policies/interventions aiming to improve PWUD-police relationships, such as the Good Samaritan Law (GSL), intended to avoid criminalizing police encounters with PWUD in cases of overdose. PWUD, though most impacted by these efforts, are seldom included in the de…
Perceptions of a community-based HIV/STI testing program among Black gay, bisexual, and other MSM in Baltimore
Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) are disproportionately affected by HIV and STIs. Safe Spaces 4 Sexual Health (SS4SH), a community-informed, status-neutral HIV/STI testing intervention combines online outreach via geo-social networking apps and social media with mobile van testing. During 2018-2019, we recruited 25 participants for interviews about their perceptions of SS4SH compared to clinic-based testing. Particip…
Navigating US illicit drug market volatility
The US illicit drug market is increasingly unreliable, with new and often harmful adulterants contributing to overdose risk among people who use drugs. In this context, it is crucial to examine whether people who inject drugs (PWID) are aware of these changes and if so, how they are adapting to inform harm reduction interventions and programs. In-depth interviews were conducted with 23 PWID between July 2022 and January 2023. Interviews explored …
Police experiences with cannabis legalization and perceptions of broader drug policy reform
Experiences of a drug decriminalization policy among police and people who use drugs in Baltimore City
Drug decriminalization aims to reduce the harms of punitive enforcement while improving police-community relations. Baltimore City implemented de facto decriminalization in 2020, declining to prosecute simple drug possession cases. We examined perspectives of 26 people who use drugs (PWUD) and 22 police officers on policy impacts using semi-structured interviews conducted in 2023–2024. Using post-structural policy analysis, we explored support fo…
Medicine (13 works) · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk (10 works) · Sex work and related issues (10 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Public health (8 works) · Environmental health (7 works) · Gerontology (7 works) · Sex work (7 works) · Demography (6 works) · Family medicine (6 works)