Harsha Thirumurthy

Dados Biográficos

ID916401
NOMEHarsha Thirumurthy
PRENOMESHarsha
SOBRENOMEThirumurthy
ASSINATURATHIRUMURTHY H
AFILIAÇÕESUniversity of Pennsylvania
ORCID0000-0002-3308-7603
VERIFICADOSim
TOTAL DE OBRAS64
TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES81
TOTAL COMO AUTOR64
TOTAL COMO EDITOR0
PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO2010
ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO2026
ÍNDICE H3

  • Systematic dissemination of study findings from local to national stakeholders

    Open AccessBenard Ayieko, Edwin D Charlebois et al.ARTICLESAHARA-J Journal of Social…2026

    Disseminating research findings to potential beneficiaries such as study participants, community members, and stakeholders is a critical component of participatory research. While there is general agreement that dissemination is critical, documented examples of comprehensive dissemination activities are few in the literature. We present a concrete example of a multi-level stakeholder dissemination process from a successful HIV self-testing and li…

  • Characterising concerns and misinformation shaping global HIV vaccine confidence and demand

    Open AccessSimamkele Bokolo, Megan Rabin et al.ARTICLEBMJ Global Health2026

    BACKGROUND: Demand for a future HIV vaccine, similar to other vaccines, is vulnerable to misinformation. A number of studies have examined HIV vaccine acceptability and demand, but few have systematically explored the specific concerns and misinformation that shape these attitudes. This structured review and content analysis of published and grey literature identifies concerns about the HIV vaccine that might fuel misinformation about the vaccine…

  • “You could hear their breathing slow down”

    Open AccessBrendan Maughan-Brown, Mamaswatsi Kopeka et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2026

    High rates of AIDS-related mortality and HIV incidence persist due to delayed antiretroviral therapy (ART) uptake and retention. We qualitatively assessed the feasibility and acceptability of "From Now On" (FNO) - a short video-based psychosocial support intervention to increase ART uptake and improve psychosocial well-being among men newly diagnosed with HIV in South Africa. In-depth interviews were conducted with men who were shown FNO during p…

  • Motivations for testing and linkage to HIV services following HIV self-testing among fishermen in Kenya

    Open AccessHolly Nishimura, Kawango Agot et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2026

    HIV self-testing (HIVST) is a promising strategy to expand testing access for hard-to-reach populations such as Kenyan fishermen. We examined motivations and barriers to HIVST use and linkage to HIV prevention and treatment services (including PrEP or ART), within a social network-based intervention (NCT04772469). We conducted interviews (N = 64) and focus group discussions (N = 4) with fishermen in Siaya County, including 30 “promoters” who dist…

  • Hazardous alcohol use is associated with sexual behaviors that increase risk for HIV acquisition among fishermen in a high HIV prevalence area of Kenya

    Open AccessSarah A Gutin, Holly Nishimura et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2026

    Links between hazardous alcohol use and HIV acquisition are well documented, with less known about this relationship among fishermen, a priority group for HIV prevention. We examined associations between hazardous alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors among fishermen in Kenya using 2022 data from 733 fishermen in three Lake Victoria communities. Measures included the AUDIT-C and sexual relationship histories. Logistic regression models assessed a…

  • Unconditional cash transfers to improve health behaviors among primary care patients

    Open AccessLaura Gibson, Aaron Richterman et al.ARTICLESocial Science & Medicine2026

    Unconditional cash transfers are a popular poverty reduction approach and may influence behavioral risk factors for chronic disease outcomes through economic and psychological pathways. Few studies have used qualitative interviews to identify the mechanisms through which cash transfers delivered in a health care context might influence the health of people living with chronic diseases in the United States. We conducted a pilot randomized controll…

  • Understanding HIV Vaccine Misinformation and Vaccine Intentions Among Young Women in South Africa

    Open AccessBrendan Maughan-Brown, Teniola I Egbe et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2026

    An effective HIV vaccine could significantly reduce HIV incidence, but demand for future HIV vaccines will be affected by misinformation. We conducted an online survey (March-April 2024) to identify the misinformation claims most likely to deter young women in South Africa (n = 188) from receiving an HIV vaccine. Participants rated HIV-vaccine misinformation as most concerning (i.e. would make them not want to get vaccinated) and least concerning…

  • Does home-based screening improve hypertension diagnosis, treatment and control? A regression discontinuity analysis in urban India

    Open AccessMichaela Theilmann, Sneha Sarah Mani et al.ARTICLEBMJ Global Health2025

    As part of India’s efforts to expand primary healthcare services, several state governments are implementing or considering home-based hypertension screening programmes to improve population-wide diagnosis and blood pressure (BP) control rates. However, there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of home-based screening programmes in India. Using six waves of population-representative cohort data (N=15574), we estimate the causal effect of a h…

  • Comparing comprehension of consent document between adolescent girls and caregivers of adolescents in Siaya County, Kenya

    Open AccessJacob Onyango, Gift-Noelle Wango et al.ARTICLEResearch Ethics2025

    Despite their vulnerability, adolescents are often excluded from health research due to ethical concerns about research with minors, especially in low-income regions like Sub-Saharan Africa. We enrolled adolescent girls aged 15–17 years and caregivers of girls of the same age. Using a 25-question Comprehension Score Sheet, we applied a quantitative approach to compare the comprehension of informed consent of 33 adolescent girls and 41 caregivers …

  • B-Ok

    Aaron Richterman, Tamar Klaiman et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2025

    Lack of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and poor retention in care are significant barriers to ending HIV epidemics. Treatment adherence support effectiveness may be constrained by limited understanding of the benefits of ART. We evaluated a visual and tactile tool, the B-OK Bottles (“B-OK”), that incorporates human-centered design and behavioral economics principles and is designed to change and strengthen mental models about HIV. We e…

  • Comparing PrEP adherence via objective and self-reported measures among fishermen working on Lake Victoria, Kenya

    Open AccessDaniel Adede, Daniel O Adede et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2025

    Fishermen working along Lake Victoria experience high rates of HIV acquisition that can be mitigated by pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which requires adequate adherence for effective prevention. We evaluated PrEP adherence among Kenyan fishermen using objective metrics and examine non-adherence. Data are from the Owete study (NCT04772469), a cluster randomized-controlled trial using a social network approach among fishermen to increase HIV test…

  • High mortality among fishermen along the beaches of lake Victoria

    Open AccessKawango Agot, Benard Ayieko et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2025

    The causes of death were varied, underscoring the need for a multi-disease approach to address the health risks in high-risk occupations like fishing. Since HIV is one of several significant health threats to fishermen, efforts to end HIV must also address other life-threatening conditions

  • Experiences and perceptions of conditional cash incentive provision and cessation among people with HIV for care engagement

    Open AccessJulia Giordano, Jayne Lewis-Kulzer et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2025

    CCTs do not appear to exert their effects through motivation, but instead act through creating opportunities for better care engagement. This study helps us better understand the durability of financial incentives for HIV care engagement and support the idea that careful consideration be exercised when implementing incentives for sustainable engagement effects

  • There is no need to leave the beach to test”

    Open AccessJayne Lewis-Kulzer, Phoebe Olugo et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2025

    While few fishermen had ever used HIVST, this study found high awareness, positive perceptions, and substantial willingness to use and distribute HIVST to other men. The "promoter" model, with known peers engaged in disseminating HIVST information and test kits, shows promise for engaging men in testing

  • Money, Medicine, and Motherhood

    Open AccessAaron Richterman, Suzanne Desire et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2025

    Improving perinatal engagement in HIV care is critical to prevent disease progression and transmission. In Haiti and other low-resource settings, poverty contributes substantially to poor perinatal HIV outcomes. Cash transfers are a promising intervention that may alleviate poverty and improve perinatal HIV outcomes through economic and psychological pathways. To inform the design of an unconditional cash transfer intervention, we conducted semi-…

  • Behaviourally-Informed Two-Way Text Messaging to Improve Return to HIV Care in South Africa

    Open AccessChristine Njuguna, Preethi Mistri et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2025

    One-way text messaging to re-engage people in HIV care has shown promise, but little is known about two-way messaging. We evaluated a behaviourally-informed two-way text messaging intervention to increase re-engagement in care following missed visits. We conducted an individual-level randomised controlled trial between February and March 2023 in Capricorn District, South Africa. Adults aged ≥ 18 years who had missed an ART visit by > 28 days were…

  • Gaps in Effective HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Screening and Uptake Among Fishermen in Kenya

    Open AccessLila A Sheira, Benard Ayieko et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2025

    Despite oral daily HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) effectiveness, uptake remains a challenge. Awareness of one's HIV status and engagement in prevention is essential to interrupting transmission among populations at high risk of HIV. We explored gaps in HIV risk perception, screening, and PrEP uptake among high HIV-risk fishermen living and working along Lake Victoria, Kenya. Data are from the Owete study (NCT04772469), which evaluated the im…

  • Participant perspectives on incentives for TB preventative therapy adherence and reduced alcohol use

    Open AccessAyesha Appa, Amanda P Miller et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2024

    Economic incentives to promote health behavior change are highly efficacious for substance use disorders as well as increased medication adherence. Knowledge about participants’ experiences with and perceptions of incentives is needed to understand their mechanisms of action and optimize future incentive-based interventions. The Drinkers’ Intervention to Prevent Tuberculosis (DIPT) trial enrolled people with HIV (PWH) in Uganda with latent tuberc…

  • Applying behavioural economics principles to increase demand for free HIV testing services at private doctor-led clinics in Johannesburg, South Africa

    Open AccessSimamkele Bokolo, Suzanne Mabaso et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2024

    Expanding free HIV testing service (HTS) access to include private clinics could increase testing rates. A donor funded programme, GP Care Cell, offered free HIV testing at selected private doctor-led clinics but uptake was low. We investigated whether HTS demand creation materials that used behavioural economics principles could increase demand for HIV testing at these clinics. We conducted a randomised controlled trial in Johannesburg, South Af…

  • Jitegemee (rely on yourself)

    Open AccessKawango Agot, Jacob Onyango et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2024

    A savings intervention for and by FSW was highly acceptable and feasible. Involving end-users in the design process is likely to result in greater economic security among FSW and lower engagement in higher risk transactional sex

  • Mental Bandwidth is Associated with HIV and Viral Suppression Among Low-Income Women in Philadelphia

    Open AccessAaron Richterman, Nancy Aitcheson et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2024

    Behavioral economics research suggests poverty may influence behavior by reducing mental bandwidth, increasing future discounting, and increasing risk aversion. It is plausible these decision-making processes are further impaired in the context of HIV or pregnancy. In this cross-sectional study of 86 low-income women in Philadelphia, HIV was associated with lower mental bandwidth (one of two measures) and lower risk aversion. Pregnancy was not as…

  • Intergenerational spillover effects of antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa

    Open AccessHenning Schröder, H Manisha Yapa et al.ARTICLEBMJ Global Health2023

    BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) may influence individuals who do not receive the intervention but who are connected in some way to the person who does. Relatively little is known, however, about the size and scope of, what we term, spillover effects of ART. We explored intergenerational spillover effects of ART in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and identified several directions for future research. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review betwee…

  • Feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of integrating HIV prevention into an adolescent empowerment and livelihood intervention at youth clubs in rural Uganda

    Open AccessChester Christian, Jane Kabami et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2023

    The uptake of HIV prevention services is lower among youth than adults in sub-Saharan Africa. Existing youth livelihood trainings offer a potential entry point to HIV prevention services. We determined feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of integrating HIV prevention into youth clubs implementing an empowerment and livelihood for adolescents (ELA) intervention in rural Uganda. Staff conducted community mobilization for youth (15-24 years) o…

  • Associations Between Ending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Emergency Allotments and Food Insufficiency

    Open AccessAaron Richterman, Christina A Roberto et al.ARTICLEJAMA Health Forum2023

    This cross-sectional study evaluates associations between changes in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program emergency allotments and food insufficiency, a severe form of food insecurity characterized by recent food inadequacy

  • Routine child immunizations in India during the Covid-19 pandemic

    Open AccessAveri Chakrabarti, Elizabeth F Bair et al.ARTICLESSM - Population Health2023

    Disruptions in health service delivery and utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused many children worldwide to not receive vital preventative health services. We investigate the pandemic's effects on routine childhood vaccinations in India, which has the world's largest child immunization program. Using data from the Government of India's health management information system and interrupted time series analyses, we estimate distri…