PRIISE

Prevention Research and Innovations In Sexual Epidemiology

Derek T. Dangerfield II, PhD
Principal Investigator & Director

A research-to-practice ecosystem advancing science, care, and public health impact using rigorous approaches across clinical, community, and digital settings.

PRIISE Lab

Advancing research, training, and scholarship in prevention, community health, & ethics

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PRIISE Institute

Delivering evaluation, tools, and training to strengthen real-world programs & systems.

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“Because we deserve more—
More knowledge, more care, more impact”

Message from the Principal Investigator

It is with great pride and excitement that I welcome you to PRIISE and share the important work we do.

The mission of PRIISE is to highlight the significance of sexual epidemiology, promote sexual health, and prevent disease through excellence in research, education, practice, and service.

I envision a world in which everyone can live healthy lives free from negative sexual stereotypes and have access to high-quality, affirming healthcare regardless of who they are.

Achieving this mission requires intentional, sustained collaboration. PRIISE brings together interdisciplinary partners across universities, community-based organizations, healthcare systems, and advocacy groups. Through these partnerships, we engage communities, generate innovative and meaningful solutions, and ensure that knowledge is translated into real-world impact.

This work is inherently collective. Improving sexual health (and community health more broadly) depends on working together thoughtfully, rigorously, and purposefully.

This season, I have embraced a deeper commitment to doing “more”: building shared knowledge, strengthening the science of sexual health, and expanding impact across communities. I invite you to explore the research and teachings of PRIISE and join me in The Work.

I hope that my passion for research excellence and health justice is more infectious than disease and that together we can turn the tide!

Welcome aboard,

Dr. D

News & Featured Research

New Edited Volume Just Published!

May 2026. Dr. Dangerfield’s new volume, Life Course Perspectives on Black Sexual Minority Men’s Health and Quality of Life, has recently been published by Springer charting a generational and developmental roadmap for understanding how early life experiences, socio-ecological exposures, and identity milestones collectively shape health trajectories for a key population. It offers a rich analytical framework with global perspectives and actionable intervention implications. Order here.

Dr. Dangerfield named new Associate Dean for Research

Dr. Derek Dangerfield has been named the new Associate Dean for Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. This appointment reflects Dr. Dangerfield’s continued leadership in advancing interdisciplinary research, community partnerships, and evidence-based practice initiatives. He looks forward to supporting research innovation and collaborative scholarship across the institution while continuing ongoing partnerships and projects. He will officially begin the role on July 1.

Funded HIV Studies Centering Black Sexual Minority Men Denied Reinstatement Appeals

April 2026. Despite several NIH grant reinstatements following recent court mandates, two multimillion-dollar NIH-funded studies led by Dr. Dangerfield, including an R01 award, have officially had their appeals denied and will not be reinstated. The terminated studies were impacted following executive orders restricting federally funded initiatives associated with so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” efforts. One of the terminated projects would have represented the largest targeted prospective study of Black sexual minority men since HPTN 061. Although these developments present significant challenges for community-centered public health research, PRIISE remains steadfast in its mission to advance sexual health promotion in high-need communities. The lab continues to pursue new partnerships, innovative funding opportunities, and collaborative research initiatives.

Strong Early Praise for Dr. Dangerfield’s New Handbook

Dec 2025. Dr. Derek Dangerfield’s handbook, Prevention Science and Targeted Methods for HIV/STI Research with Black Sexual Minority Men, is already receiving strong praise for its timely contribution to prevention science, community-engaged research, and culturally responsive public health practice. Designed for both emerging and experienced researchers, clinicians, educators, and policy-makers, the handbook provides evidence-based methodologies and practical frameworks to address contemporary issues in HIV/STI prevention and promote sexual health among Black sexual minority men. One early reviewer described the volume as:

“An exceptional and timely addition to the field. It offers significant value to researchers, graduate students, public health professionals, and community- based practitioners interested in employing culturally responsive, ethically sound, and community-driven approaches to HIV/STI prevention.”

Order your copy today and learn more about the future of targeted HIV/STI prevention research.

New Handbook: Prevention Science & Targeted Methods for HIV/STI Research with Black Sexual Minority Men

Author: Derek T. Dangerfield II, PhD

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PRIISE

PRIISE Lab

PRIISE Institute

Message from the Principal Investigator

News & Featured Research

New Handbook: Prevention Science & Targeted Methods for HIV/STI Research with Black Sexual Minority Men

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