Sara Levintow, PhD

Dr. Sara Levintow is an assistant professor of epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She is an infectious disease epidemiologist whose research motivation is to investigate spread of infection and improve public health in vulnerable populations, including those with mental illness, drug abuse, and involvement with the criminal justice system. Her work focuses on HIV and SARS-CoV-2. In those disease areas, she uses mathematical modeling and causal inference methods to improve understanding of the behavioral and biological determinants of transmission dynamics and to inform intervention efforts that reduce morbidity and mortality.

Honors and Awards

Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health

2020, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Pre-Doctoral Fellowship

2018, ViiV Healthcare

Graduate Poster Session Award Winner

2016, American Public Health Association

Annual Fund Scholarship

2014, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Employee Recognition Award

2013, NORC at the University of Chicago

John D. Kelton Psychology Award

2011, Davidson College

Research Activities

Infectious Disease Transmission

Mathematical Modeling

Causal Inference

HIV Surveillance

HIV Prevention

SARS-CoV-2

COVID-19

Key Publications

Depression, antiretroviral therapy initiation, and HIV viral suppression among people who inject drugs in Vietnam. Levintow SN, Pence BW, Powers KA, Breskin A, Sripaipan T, Ha TV, Chu VA, Quan VM, Latkin CA, Go VF. (2021). Journal of Affective Disorders, 281.

Estimating the effect of depression on HIV transmission risk behaviors among people who inject drugs: A causal approach. Levintow SN, Pence BW, Powers KA, Sripaipan T, Ha TV, Chu VA, Quan VM, Latkin CA, Go VF.  (2021). AIDS and Behavior, 25(2), 438-446.

Depressive symptoms at HIV testing and two-year survival among men who inject drugs in Vietnam. Levintow SN, Pence BW, Ha TV, Minh NL, Sripaipan T, Latkin CA, Vu PT, Quan VM, Frangakis C, Go VF. (2019). AIDS and Behavior, 23(3), 609-616.

Prevalence and transmission dynamics of HIV-1 transmitted drug resistance in a southeastern US cohort. Levintow SN, Okeke NL, Hué S, Mkumba L, Virkud A, Napravnik S, Sebastian J, Miller WC, Eron JJ, Dennis AM. (2018). Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 5(8), ofy178.

Prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms among HIV-positive men who inject drugs in Vietnam. Levintow SN, Pence BW, Ha TV, Minh NL, Sripaipan T, Latkin CA, Vu PT, Quan VM, Frangakis C, Go VF. (2018). PLOS ONE, 13(1), e0191548.

Education

PhD, Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2020

MSPH, Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2016

BS, Psychology, Davidson College, 2011