OIBR 2024 Rising Star
We are delighted to announce the 2024 OIBR Rising Star Award recipient, Dr. M. Rifat Haider!
The OIBR Rising Star Award celebrates the remarkable scholarly achievements and future potential of an OIBR Distinguished Scholar or Affiliate within eight years of earning their Ph.D. This award highlights individuals who demonstrate sustained excellence in research and a promising trajectory for impactful contributions. Dr. Haider’s accomplishments are evident through his numerous publications, successful grant applications, and innovative projects that shape the future of his field.
Dr. Haider, an Assistant Professor in Health Policy and Management at UGA, focuses his research on addressing the dual epidemics of HIV and opioid use in the South. His unique approach bridges two intersecting research agendas: one centered on telehealth interventions and the other on addressing “chem-sex” — risky sexual behavior influenced by substance use.
Over the past year, Dr. Haider has secured two major NIH grants as Principal Investigator, including a K award to explore telehealth-based interventions that enhance HIV prevention and medication support for opioid use disorder among rural populations who inject drugs. His second NIH grant supports the development of an empowerment-based telehealth intervention to improve HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) choices, updates, and adherence among Black women at risk of HIV.
A third project, currently under NIH review, aims to characterize chem-sex patterns and assess harm reduction efforts among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in the South.
These projects build upon Dr. Haider’s impressive record, which already includes 87 peer-reviewed publications, with significant contributions appearing in The Lancet and Social Science and Medicine: Population Health.
At OIBR’s annual meeting in October, Dr. Haider received a commemorative plaque and a $1,000 research fund in recognition of his outstanding work. Please join us in congratulating Dr. M. Rifat Haider on this well-deserved honor!
October 30, 2024