The Technology Core provides services for technology related fields, including mobile technologies, web-based platforms, laboratory platforms, online/social media recruitment and technology-related ethics issues. The Technology Core is a service center to which individual investigators or site PIs can request specialized assistance or request to use shared resources. Dr. Lisa Hightow-Weidman and Dr. Patrick Sullivan jointly manage this Core.
Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH
Principal Investigator
Lisa B. Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH is a Professor of Medicine in the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and a Professor of Health Behavior in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC). Dr. Hightow-Weidman is the director of the Behavior and Technology Lab (BATLab) at UNC and is an expert in the development, implementation and evaluation of digital health interventions (DHIs) to address the HIV Care Continuum for adolescents and young adults, particularly among sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. She has developed DHIs to address uptake and adherence to biomedical HIV prevention technologies, as well as intervening to increase HIV diagnosis, linkage and retention in care for SGM youth. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles on these topics and has a proven track record of successful funding from the National Institutes of Health, HIV/AIDS Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She also is a practicing clinician and has been providing care to youth living with or at risk for HIV at UNC since 2001.
Site: Chapel Hill
Patrick Sullivan, DVM, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Sullivan has 22 years of experience in HIV epidemiology and prevention in men who have sex with men, in the United States and in international settings. He worked in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for 12 years, including service as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, a Branch Chief, and Acting Deputy Division Director in the Division of HIV AIDS Prevention. He also has experience in design and oversight of biomedical prevention trials, having served as the Associate Director of Scientific Support for the NIH-funded HIV Vaccine Trials Network. He is currently the PI of several NIH-supported research grants to develop improved methods for online HIV prevention studies. Dr. Sullivan holds a PhD in Comparative and Experimental Medicine and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the University of Tennessee.
Site: Atlanta
Elijah Dean, MSW
Systems & Communications Manager
Elijah is the Systems & Communications Manager for iTech and the BATLab, currently focusing on social media recruitment efforts and . He holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington with a focus on community-centered integrative practice and previously earned a B.S. in Sociology from Virginia Tech. Previous experience includes several years in direct practice for mental health crisis stabilization and serving as a community advocate and researcher developing an initiative to train healthcare providers on LGBTQ breast health and cultural sensitivity. In his spare time, Elijah does transcription work for documentaries and podcasts, gardens, and tries to tire out his cats and dog.
Jesse Golinkoff, MPH
Tech Core Member
Jesse Golinkoff is a Research Project Manager at the Program for Sexuality, Technology, and Action Research at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing. Before entering the Public Health field, Jesse worked in web design and development for over eight years, focusing on website usability, user testing, website analytics, and information architecture. Jesse also has experience with Agile Development methodologies. Jesse received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Multimedia from The University of the Arts in 2007 and a Master of Public Health at the University of Pennsylvania in 2016. Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Jenna Norelli
Tech Core Study Coordinator
Institution: Emory University
