Director, Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies; Associate Professor, Health Behavior and Health Education
About
A global health scholar, Elizabeth King studies women’s health, gender-equitable access to prevention and health care services, and disparities in engagement in HIV care and treatment. The majority of her research focuses on Russia, where she has more than 15 years of experience. She has also conducted research in Kazakhstan, Serbia, and Ukraine. Dr. King utilizes multidisciplinary approaches, qualitative inquiry, mixed-methods study designs, and community-based participatory methodologies. She applies these research methods to studying issues such as: postpartum engagement in HIV care and treatment across several sites in Russia; adherence to antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV in Almaty, Kazakhstan; the health needs of Central Asian female labor migrants in St. Petersburg, Russia; and gender-related factors influencing service utilization among women who inject drugs in St. Petersburg. Through her research, Dr. King aims to explore access to health care services (e.g. HIV prevention and treatment, sexual and reproductive health services, and substance use programs); elucidate the social processes (e.g. gender norms, stigma, and discrimination) that marginalize populations from these services; and identify opportunities for intervention.
On a broader level, Dr. King is interested in globalization and health and in the influence of global policies and funding on public health in post-socialist societies. She holds a PhD in health behavior and a MPH in global health. Dr. King received her BA in Slavic Languages and Literatures, and was a Fulbright scholar in the Faculty of Sociology at St. Petersburg State University (Russia). She speaks Russian and Serbian.
Recent Publications (Selected):
- King EJ, Evdokimova I, Godunova J. ‘If she gave birth to a healthy child, then she may forget about her own health’: Postpartum engagement in HIV care and treatment among women living with HIV in Russia. Global Public Health.
- King EJ, Stojanovski K, Acosta J. (2018). Low levels of modern contraceptive use and associated factors in the Western Balkans. European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care. 23(4):295-302.
- King EJ, Maman S, Dudina V, Moracco KE, Bowling JM. (2017). Motivators and barriers to HIV testing among street-based female sex workers in St. Petersburg, Russia. Global Public Health. 12(7):876-891.
- Girchenko P & King EJ (co-first authors). (2017). Correlates of Double Risk of HIV Acquisition and Transmission Among Women who Inject Drugs in St. Petersburg, Russia.AIDS and Behavior. 21(4):1054-1058.
- King EJ, Maksymenko KM, Almodovar-Diaz Y, Johnson S. (2016). 'If she is a good woman ...' and 'to be a real man ...': gender, risk and access to HIV services among key populations in Tajikistan.Culture, Health & Sexuality. 18(4):422-34.
- King EJ, Maman S, Bowling JM, Moracco KE, Dudina VI. (2013). The influence of stigma and discrimination on female sex workers' access to HIV services in St. Petersburg, Russia AIDS and Behavior, 17(8), 2597-603.
Field(s) of Study
- Global health, social and behavioral determinants of health, HIV/AIDS and key populations, gender-based violence, women's health, Russia, Western Balkans, Central Asia
