Danielle C Ompad

Professor of Epidemiology

Professional overview

Dr. Danielle Ompad is an epidemiologist whose work is focused in the areas of urban health, HIV, illicit drug use, and adult access to vaccines. With respect to illicit drug use, her work has spanned the entire natural history of addiction – from initiation to cessation, with particular attention paid to risk for infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, and STIs.  She has primarily worked with people who use heroin, crack, cocaine, and/or club drugs.  

In New York City, she has been examining heroin cessation among current, former, and relapsed heroin users. Working with Alliance for Public Health and the Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy, she analyzes harm reduction service utilization among people who inject drugs, in order to optimize service delivery in Ukraine.  Since 2013, she has served as faculty for the Fogarty-funded New York State International Training and Research Program with the goal of building research capacity in Ukraine.

Dr. Ompad’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-funded study aims to determine if herpes simplex 1 and 2 infections explain racial disparities in HIV incidence among a cohort of young gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (YMSM).  In addition, Dr. Ompad and colleagues are assessing HPV infection prevalence, persistence, and clearance among this same cohort.

Education

BS, Biology, Bowie State University, Bowie, MD

MHS, Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

PhD, Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Honors and awards

Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award, New York University (2014)

Excellence in Public Health Teaching Award, New York University (2013)

National Hispanic Science Network on Drug Abuse Scientific Development Travel Fellowship (2010)

Delta Omega Honorary Society, Alpha Chapter (2002)

Areas of research and study

Epidemiology

HIV/AIDS

Infectious Diseases

Social Determinants of Health

STIs

Substance Abuse

Vaccines

Publications

Publications

Development and Validation of a Provider-Specific Anticipated Stigma Scale for People Who Inject Drugs

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Evaluating a Pilot Online Writing Accountability Group (WAG) for Early-Stage Faculty in Drug Use and HIV Research: A Mixed Methods Approach

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HIV-Stigmatizing Beliefs and Attitudes as a Barrier to Early PrEP Care Continuum Engagement Among People Who Inject Drugs

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PrEP Stigma and Early PrEP Care Continuum Outcomes Among People Who Inject Drugs in Los Angeles and Denver

Khezri, M., Ivasiy, R., Schneider, J. A., Friedman, S. R., Ompad, D. C., Earnshaw, V. A., Bluthenthal, R. N., Huh, J., & Walters, S. M. (n.d.).

Publication year

2026

Journal title

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Volume

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Abstract

Abstract

Background Despite high HIV risk among people who inject drugs (PWID), uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) remains low. Understanding the role of stigma toward PrEP use among PWID can inform interventions to improve engagement along the PrEP care continuum. We examined associations between PrEP stigma and early PrEP care continuum steps among PWID. Methods We analyzed data from 244 HIV-negative PWID in Los Angeles and Denver, between April 2021 and June 2023. Participants completed a survey assessing stigma toward PrEP, awareness of PrEP, willingness to take PrEP, and attempts to access PrEP. A 10-item PrEP stigma scale assessed attitudes and perceptions toward PrEP use. Results Overall PrEP stigma was low (mean 1.63, SD 0.46). Sixty-three percent of participants had heard of PrEP, 46.2% reported willingness to take PrEP, and 5.0% had attempted to access PrEP. PrEP stigma was not associated with awareness of PrEP (aOR 0.90; 95% CI: 0.47-1.70). However, higher stigma was significantly associated with lower willingness to take PrEP; each one-point increase in stigma score was associated with 76% lower odds of willingness (aOR 0.24; 95% CI: 0.11-0.51). Higher stigma was associated with lower odds of attempting to access PrEP in unadjusted analyses, but this association was not statistically significant after adjustment (aOR 0.17; 95% CI: 0.02-1.19). Conclusion Stigma toward PrEP, reflected in negative beliefs and social attitudes about PrEP use, remains an important barrier to willingness to initiate PrEP among PWID. Interventions addressing PrEP-related stigma may improve PrEP engagement and help reduce HIV transmission risk among PWID.

The geography of risk: understanding disparities in nonmedical opioid mortality and the role of socio-built environments in New Jersey

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“Keep them off the scaffolding!”: A qualitative study of substance use and harm reduction among construction workers in New York City

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"It's Whack, It's Not Gonna Work": Feasibility of Sociocentric Network Recruitment for Interventions Among Black, Latine, and Caribbean Priority Populations in New York City

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"Once You're Labeled a Drug User, You Might as Well Stay the F*** Home": Adverse Police Experiences Among People Who Inject Drugs

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Depression among people living with tuberculosis and tuberculosis/HIV coinfection in Ukraine : a cross-sectional study

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Depression among people living with tuberculosis and tuberculosis/HIV coinfection in Ukraine: a cross-sectional study

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Depression and anxiety among people living with HIV and key populations at risk for HIV in the Eastern European and Central Asian region: a scoping review

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Genetic Characterization of Plasmodium falciparum Histidine-Rich Protein 2 Deletions and Their Impact on Malaria Interventions in Odisha, India

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Harms associated with injecting in public spaces: a global systematic review and meta-analysis

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Macro-level determinants of gender differences in the prevalence of major depression and alcohol use disorder in the United States and across Europe

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Prevalence of dignity denial among people who inject drugs in Los Angeles, California and Denver, Colorado

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Studies on cognitive performance among older people living with HIV in eastern Europe and central Asia: a scoping review

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“Even in death they discriminate against you”: A qualitative study of intersectional stigma and HIV care among Black, Latiné, and Caribbean SGM in New York City

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"He's used drugs - he's biased! He's not a drug user - what would he know!": A cross-sectional, online study of drug researchers' experiential knowledge of drug use and disclosure

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The impact of the 2014 military conflict in the east of Ukraine and the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea among patients receiving opioid agonist therapies

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Creation and Validation of a New Socio-built Environment Index Measure of Opioid Overdose Risk for Use in Both Non-urban and Urban Settings

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Evaluating the effect heterogeneity of malaria camp interventions in hard-to-reach areas of Odisha State, India

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How the rural risk environment underpins hepatitis C risk : Qualitative findings from rural southern Illinois, United States

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I Don’t Believe a Person Has to Die When Trying to Get High : Overdose Prevention and Response Strategies in Rural Illinois

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The effectiveness of malaria camps as part of the malaria control program in Odisha, India

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The effectiveness of malaria camps as part of the malaria control program in Odisha, India

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