Mina Halpern
Biographic Data
| ID | 6761355 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mina Halpern |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mina |
| FAMILY NAME | Halpern |
| SIGNATURE | HALPERN M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Clínica de Familia La Romana, La Romana, Dominican Republic |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1346-9102 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 17 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Sustained mental health impacts of Covid-19 among people living with and without HIV in the Dominican Republic
Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are clearly documented, particularly in marginalized populations, but longer-term impacts are unknown. This study explored the sustained mental health of the COVID-19 pandemic among people living with HIV (PLHIV) and people without HIV receiving care at a primary care center in La Romana, Dominican Republic from November 2021 to February 2022. Using stratified random sampling, we recruited PLHIV and …
Evaluation of a patient educational brochure to increase knowledge of cervical cancer screening among women living with HIV in La Romana
Cervical cancer is among the most preventable human malignancies, yet it’s the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the Dominican Republic. Among those who are most at risk for cervical cancer are women living with HIV (WLH) who face a six-fold increased risk compared to the general population. Given patient barriers to uptake of cervical cancer screening, we created a patient-facing brochure on cervical cancer to be distributed wi…
Factors Related To Improving the Quality of Cervical Cancer Screening for Women Living with HIV in La Romana, Dominican Republic
Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related death, especially among women living with HIV (WLH). This qualitative study explored barriers and facilitators to cervical cancer screening from the perspective of healthcare providers and WLH at Clínica de Familia La Romana, a large primary care clinic that specializes in HIV in the Dominican Republic. Ten providers and 25 WLH participated in interviews, which were analyzed in Dedoose usi…
Young adult males’ perceptions about gender equity in La Romana, Dominican Republic
To assess adolescent and young adult males’ perceptions regarding gender equity in La Romana, Dominican Republic. We used the Gender Equitable Men (GEM) scale among males aged 15–24, who reported level of agreement with gender equity attitudes, establishing 0.01–0.5 = “low gender equitable”, 0.51–0.79 = “medium gender equitable” and 0.8–1 = “high gender equitable”. We established p < 0.05 for statistical significance, using Chi square for bivaria…
Thoughts of self-harm in adolescents
Violence against adolescents is a pressing health problem with long-term implications for future physical and mental well-being, such as thoughts of self-harm, which have been associated with suicidal ideation and completion. However, much of the research has been conducted only in high-income countries. This study aimed to examine the correlation between violence against adolescents and self-harm thoughts in La Romana, Dominican Republic (DR). C…
A randomized controlled trial of the dissemination of an mHealth intervention for improving health outcomes
This trial was registered with Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05398185) on 5/31/2022
Reaching “covidianidad”
We aimed to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the lives of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the Dominican Republic. We also aimed to identify the types of resources that HCWs felt were needed to support their mental health. We used purposive and convenience sampling in four health centers in the eastern Dominican Republic to recruit 28 HCWs (doctors, nurses, psychologists, and community health workers) between April 2021 and August 2021. Thr…
Power and respect in global health research collaboration
Research partnerships between institutions in the Global North and institutions in the Global South have many potential benefits, including sharing of knowledge and resources. However, such partnerships are traditionally exploitative to varying degrees. In order to promote equity in South‐North research partnerships, it is necessary to learn from the experiences of researchers collaborating internationally. This study analyzed transcripts from el…
Feasibility and acceptability of using information visualizations to improve HIV-related communication in a limited-resource setting
Infographics (visualizations that present information) can assist clinicians to offer health information to patients with low health literacy in an accessible format. In response, we developed an infographic intervention to enhance clinical, HIV-related communication. This study reports on its feasibility and acceptability at a clinical setting in the Dominican Republic. We conducted in-depth interviews with physicians who administered the interv…
If They Give Their Mind to HIV, They Don’t Last as Long”
Explanatory models describe individuals' perceptions of their illness experiences, which can guide culturally relevant care. We constructed an explanatory model of the experience of living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the Dominican Republic. Following qualitative descriptive methodology, we conducted interviews in Spanish using a semi-structured interview guide developed using Kleinman's explanatory model framework. Two bilingual re…
Medición de adherencia a antirretrovirales con métodos múltiples en La Romana, República Dominicana
Objetivo. El objetivo fue desarrollar una herramienta para medir los niveles de adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral (la TARV) en un entorno de escasos recursos, a partir de la combinación de cuatro métodos de medición de adherencia. Métodos. Revisión retrospectiva de 500 expedientes médicos de personas que viven con VIH, elegidos de manera aleatoria desde octubre del 2017 hasta enero del 2020. Se midió la adherencia a la TARV combinando cua…
Clinician Use of HIV-Related Infographics During Clinic Visits in the Dominican Republic is Associated with Lower Viral Load and Other Improvements in Health Outcomes
Sexual Relationship Power and Safe Sex Communication Among Partnered Women in the Dominican Republic
Introduction: Research is needed to identify influences on safe sex communication among specific culture groups. This study aimed to (1) describe sexual behaviors and indicators of sexual power among partnered Dominican women and (2) identify which of these indicators are significantly associated with safe sex communication. Methodology: Cross-sectional surveys, grounded in the theory of gender and power, were conducted with 100 partnered women a…
Factors Associated with Health Information Seeking, Processing, and Use Among HIV Positive Adults in the Dominican Republic
Disclosure of Their Status to Youth with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in the Dominican Republic
Factors Influencing Use of Family Planning Services among HIV-positive Women in the PMTCT Program at Clínica de Familia La Romana in the Dominican Republic
Implementation of a standardized HIV patient monitoring system in Guyana
Implementation of a national PMS for standardized data collection and reporting across multiple clinical sites ultimately provided important and reliable information on utilization of services, patient outcomes, and survival rates on treatment. These data are used at the national level to monitor the efficacy of the HIV care and treatment program. Successful implementation requires early inclusion of all committed stakeholders and a dedicated hum…
Implementation of a standardized HIV patient monitoring system in Guyana
Implementation of a national PMS for standardized data collection and reporting across multiple clinical sites ultimately provided important and reliable information on utilization of services, patient outcomes, and survival rates on treatment. These data are used at the national level to monitor the efficacy of the HIV care and treatment program. Successful implementation requires early inclusion of all committed stakeholders and a dedicated hum…
Factors Influencing Use of Family Planning Services among HIV-positive Women in the PMTCT Program at Clínica de Familia La Romana in the Dominican Republic
Disclosure of Their Status to Youth with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in the Dominican Republic
Factors Associated with Health Information Seeking, Processing, and Use Among HIV Positive Adults in the Dominican Republic
Sexual Relationship Power and Safe Sex Communication Among Partnered Women in the Dominican Republic
Introduction: Research is needed to identify influences on safe sex communication among specific culture groups. This study aimed to (1) describe sexual behaviors and indicators of sexual power among partnered Dominican women and (2) identify which of these indicators are significantly associated with safe sex communication. Methodology: Cross-sectional surveys, grounded in the theory of gender and power, were conducted with 100 partnered women a…
Clinician Use of HIV-Related Infographics During Clinic Visits in the Dominican Republic is Associated with Lower Viral Load and Other Improvements in Health Outcomes
Feasibility and acceptability of using information visualizations to improve HIV-related communication in a limited-resource setting
Infographics (visualizations that present information) can assist clinicians to offer health information to patients with low health literacy in an accessible format. In response, we developed an infographic intervention to enhance clinical, HIV-related communication. This study reports on its feasibility and acceptability at a clinical setting in the Dominican Republic. We conducted in-depth interviews with physicians who administered the interv…
If They Give Their Mind to HIV, They Don’t Last as Long”
Explanatory models describe individuals' perceptions of their illness experiences, which can guide culturally relevant care. We constructed an explanatory model of the experience of living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the Dominican Republic. Following qualitative descriptive methodology, we conducted interviews in Spanish using a semi-structured interview guide developed using Kleinman's explanatory model framework. Two bilingual re…
Medición de adherencia a antirretrovirales con métodos múltiples en La Romana, República Dominicana
Objetivo. El objetivo fue desarrollar una herramienta para medir los niveles de adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral (la TARV) en un entorno de escasos recursos, a partir de la combinación de cuatro métodos de medición de adherencia. Métodos. Revisión retrospectiva de 500 expedientes médicos de personas que viven con VIH, elegidos de manera aleatoria desde octubre del 2017 hasta enero del 2020. Se midió la adherencia a la TARV combinando cua…
Reaching “covidianidad”
We aimed to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the lives of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the Dominican Republic. We also aimed to identify the types of resources that HCWs felt were needed to support their mental health. We used purposive and convenience sampling in four health centers in the eastern Dominican Republic to recruit 28 HCWs (doctors, nurses, psychologists, and community health workers) between April 2021 and August 2021. Thr…
Power and respect in global health research collaboration
Research partnerships between institutions in the Global North and institutions in the Global South have many potential benefits, including sharing of knowledge and resources. However, such partnerships are traditionally exploitative to varying degrees. In order to promote equity in South‐North research partnerships, it is necessary to learn from the experiences of researchers collaborating internationally. This study analyzed transcripts from el…
Young adult males’ perceptions about gender equity in La Romana, Dominican Republic
To assess adolescent and young adult males’ perceptions regarding gender equity in La Romana, Dominican Republic. We used the Gender Equitable Men (GEM) scale among males aged 15–24, who reported level of agreement with gender equity attitudes, establishing 0.01–0.5 = “low gender equitable”, 0.51–0.79 = “medium gender equitable” and 0.8–1 = “high gender equitable”. We established p < 0.05 for statistical significance, using Chi square for bivaria…
Thoughts of self-harm in adolescents
Violence against adolescents is a pressing health problem with long-term implications for future physical and mental well-being, such as thoughts of self-harm, which have been associated with suicidal ideation and completion. However, much of the research has been conducted only in high-income countries. This study aimed to examine the correlation between violence against adolescents and self-harm thoughts in La Romana, Dominican Republic (DR). C…
A randomized controlled trial of the dissemination of an mHealth intervention for improving health outcomes
This trial was registered with Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05398185) on 5/31/2022
Sustained mental health impacts of Covid-19 among people living with and without HIV in the Dominican Republic
Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are clearly documented, particularly in marginalized populations, but longer-term impacts are unknown. This study explored the sustained mental health of the COVID-19 pandemic among people living with HIV (PLHIV) and people without HIV receiving care at a primary care center in La Romana, Dominican Republic from November 2021 to February 2022. Using stratified random sampling, we recruited PLHIV and …
Evaluation of a patient educational brochure to increase knowledge of cervical cancer screening among women living with HIV in La Romana
Cervical cancer is among the most preventable human malignancies, yet it’s the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the Dominican Republic. Among those who are most at risk for cervical cancer are women living with HIV (WLH) who face a six-fold increased risk compared to the general population. Given patient barriers to uptake of cervical cancer screening, we created a patient-facing brochure on cervical cancer to be distributed wi…
Factors Related To Improving the Quality of Cervical Cancer Screening for Women Living with HIV in La Romana, Dominican Republic
Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related death, especially among women living with HIV (WLH). This qualitative study explored barriers and facilitators to cervical cancer screening from the perspective of healthcare providers and WLH at Clínica de Familia La Romana, a large primary care clinic that specializes in HIV in the Dominican Republic. Ten providers and 25 WLH participated in interviews, which were analyzed in Dedoose usi…
Medicine (12 works) · Family medicine (10 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (10 works) · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV (8 works) · Nursing (8 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Public health (7 works) · Qualitative research (6 works) · Health care (5 works) · Sociology (5 works)