Wendee M. Wechsberg, PhD

About

Wendee Wechsberg, PhD is the director of RTI International’s Global Gender Center and the director of Substance Use, Gender, and Applied Research. She has been an applied community-based and gender National Institutes of Health (NIH) researcher since 1994 and has more than 20 years of clinical experience. She has devoted her research career to community-based trials, notably the Women’s CoOp, using mixed methods, by developing, adapting, and testing the efficacy of biobehavioral HIV interventions among different populations of people who use alcohol and drugs. Since 2001, she has conducted research in South Africa with women, couples and AGYWs who are at risk for or living with HIV, and more recently with ART and PrEP. She has published in the areas of gender and ethnicity, outreach, HIV risk, and women and couples who use substances. Her chapters, editorials, peer reviewed papers total over 200 in the areas of gender, ethnicity, outreach, HIV risk, adolescents, couples, and women. In 2008, Dr. Wechsberg was ranked third among all NIH-funded researchers who received HIV investigator-initiated grants (Science, 321[5880], 520–521). Currently, her research is funded by the NICHD and NIDA. She was awarded NIDA’s International Award for Excellence in Mentoring in 2013, NIDA’s Pioneer Award in 2015, and RTI’s Margaret Knox Award in 2018. She is also a 2022 Forbes 50 over 50 Impact Honoree and was recently listed in the Top 50 Women Leaders in North Carolina from We Admire, 2023 and 2024.

Honors and Awards

Top 50 Women Leaders in North Carolina
2024, Women We Admire

Top 50 Women Leaders in North Carolina
2023, Women We Admire

Forbes 50/50 Impact List Awardee
2022, Forbes

Sigma Xi
2022, Research Honor Society

Margaret Knox Award, Excellence in Research
2018, RTI International

Pioneer Certificate, Two Decades of International Collaborations
2015, NIDA

Women in Business, Mentoring
2014, Triangle Business Journal

NIDA International Award for Excellence in Mentoring
2013, NIDA

10 Area People Working to Change the World
January 2007, Triangle Business Journal

RTI President’s Award—recognized for innovative adaptation of a U.S.-developed research and intervention protocol to HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs in South Africa
2022, RTI International

Professional Development Award
1998, Research Triangle Institute

Who’s Who Among American Women
1995-1996,

Psychology Emeritus Fund, Research Support
1991, North Carolina State University

NC Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service in the Struggle to Overcome AIDS
1990,

ODK for Leadership and Scholarship
1975, Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK)

Who’s Who in American Colleges and University
1975,

Mortar Board for Leadership and Scholarship
1974, Mortar Board

Research Activities

Couple’s Health CoOp Plus (CHC+) (2020 to date)—Multiple Principal Investigator (contact PI). This National Institute on Drug Abuse funded study aims to increase initiation and adherence of ART and PrEP, and to promote risk reduction behaviors among young women and their primary male partners. The adapted stigma-reduction training will reduce structural barriers and enhance testing, prevention, and treatment. If this multilevel approach demonstrates efficacy in increasing PrEP/ART initiation, adherence and retention, it could help achieve the U=U goals. R01 DA049612.

The PREPaRE Pretoria Project: PRevention, Empowering, and PRotEcting Young Women in South Africa (2017 to date)—Principal Investigator. This NICHD-funded R01 study plans to increase uptake and adherence of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention among vulnerable HIV-negative adolescent girls and young women, aged 16–24 who engage in high-risk sex, through a multilevel HIV prevention strategy that addresses stigma and discrimination (S&D) in AGYW accessing health care, social support, and individual risk behaviors. The project will address the structural, interpersonal, and individual factors to support a comprehensive woman-focused intervention for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake and adherence. R01HD094629

Expanding HIV Testing and Prevention to Reach Vulnerable Young Women (2015 to 2023)—Principal Investigator. This NIDA-funded R01 study seeks to reach vulnerable female adolescents in disadvantaged communities in Cape Town who use alcohol and other drugs (AOD) and have dropped out of school and help them overcome barriers to improved health by increasing update of HTC through a comprehensive gender-focused HTC intervention, with trained peer co-facilitators and outreach workers from each community. R01DA041227

Young Women-Focused HIV Prevention: Seek & Test in NC Clinics (2015 to 2023)—Multiple Principal Investigator (contact PI). This NIDA-funded R01 study seeks to develop and test the delivery of age-appropriate HIV-focused models within the seek, test, treat, and retain framework to reach young sexually at-risk, HIV naïve, young African American women who use AODs in North Carolina. It will examine two delivery strategies of an age-appropriate, woman-focused HIV intervention initiated in HIV testing clinics that will provide risk reduction, empowerment skills, and linkage to substance abuse treatment. R01DA041009

Service Activities

Board member, Friends Committee, Raleigh-based (addressing poverty, substance use, school drop, gang violence)

Chair, Advisory Board, Women NC, past president, UNC students have been scholars and been femtored by RTI's Global Gender Center

AIDS Impact Scientific Advisory Board, 2011 to date

Grant Reviewer, NIH Ad Hoc ongoing

Grant Reviewer, NIH, AIDS Training Centers, P30 Center Reviews Ad Hoc

Chair, DSMB, HIV & Drug Abuse Prevention for South African Men (R01DA038675) 2018

Chair, Ending Global Inequalities Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa Oct 8-9, 2018

NIDA, Avenair Award, Chair 2017

AIDS Impact Planning Committee 2016 to 2017

Reviewer, HIV and Drug Use Research Fellowship Programme 2009 to 2014

NIDA, Avant Garde Award, Review, 2012, Chair, 2013

Committee member, Travel awards for CSAT, NIDA scholars for College on Problems on Chemical Dependency, 2008 to 2010

AIDS Impact Scientific Advisory Board, 2011 to date

Grant Reviewer, NIH Ad Hoc ongoing

Grant Reviewer, NIH, AIDS Training Centers, P30 Center Reviews Ad Hoc

Chair, DSMB, HIV & Drug Abuse Prevention for South African Men (R01DA038675) 2018

Chair, Ending Global Inequalities Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa Oct 8-9, 2018

NIDA, Avenair Award, Chair 2017

AIDS Impact Planning Committee 2016 to 2017

Reviewer, HIV and Drug Use Research Fellowship Programme 2009 to 2014

NIDA, Avant Garde Award, Review, 2012, Chair, 2013

Committee member, Travel awards for CSAT, NIDA scholars for College on Problems on Chemical Dependency, 2008 to 2010

AIDS Impact Scientific Advisory Board, 2011 to date

Grant Reviewer, NIH Ad Hoc ongoing

Grant Reviewer, NIH, AIDS Training Centers, P30 Center Reviews Ad Hoc

Chair, DSMB, HIV & Drug Abuse Prevention for South African Men (R01DA038675) 2018

Chair, Ending Global Inequalities Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa Oct 8-9, 2018

NIDA, Avenair Award, Chair 2017

AIDS Impact Planning Committee 2016 to 2017

Reviewer, HIV and Drug Use Research Fellowship Programme 2009 to 2014

NIDA, Avant Garde Award, Review, 2012, Chair, 2013

Committee member, Travel awards for CSAT, NIDA scholars for College on Problems on Chemical Dependency, 2008 to 2010

AIDS Impact Scientific Advisory Board, 2011 to date

Practice Activities

Dr. Wechsberg collaborates with and ‘femtors’ students, faculty and researchers in institutions of higher learning in the United States and abroad, and she serves as a consultant to various national and international studies. In addition, Dr. Wechsberg listens to community collaborative boards for her research projects in the United States and South Africa to not only establish community-based networks and linkages, but obtain critical feedback, and keep community stakeholders involved with these community-based trials. At the end, she also conducts policy forums to ensure dissemination and to develop plans for real-world implementation and sustainability.

Key Publications

Outcomes of substance use and sexual power among adolescent girls and young women in Cape Town: Implications for structural and cultural differences. Wechsberg WM, Browne FA, Carney T, Kline TL, Howard BN, Russell SE, van der Drift I, Myers B, Minnis AM, Bonner CP, Ndirangu JW  (2024). Glob Public Health.

Assessing Differences in mHealth Usability and App Experiences Among Young African American Women: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Opper CA, Browne FA, Howard BN, Zule WA, Wechsberg WM (2024). JMIR Hum Factors.

Relationship Between Criminal and Status Offense Behaviors, Substance Use, and HIV Risk Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Cape Town, South Africa. Carney, T., Myers, B., Browne, FA, Kline, T., Bonner, CB, Ndirangu, J., Wechsberg, WM  (2023). Int J Ment Health Addiction.
View publication

Binge drinking and condom negotiation behaviours among adolescent girls and young women living in Cape Town, South Africa: sexual control and perceived personal power. Singer SE, Wechsberg WM, Kline T, Browne FA, Howard BN, Carney T, Myers B, Bonner CP, Chin-Quee D  (2023). BMC Public Health.

The Importance of the Individual in PrEP Uptake: Multilevel Correlates of PrEP Uptake Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Tshwane, South Africa. Bonner CP, Minnis AM, Ndirangu JW, Browne FA, Speizer I, Nyblade L, Ahmed K, Wechsberg WM  (2023). AIDS Behav.

Staff/Administrative Duties

Wendee M. Wechsberg is the Director of the Substance Use, Gender and Applied Research Program at RTI International. Since its inception in 1999, this program has evolved over time focusing on developing and adapting evidence-based interventions globally. In 2013, Dr. Wechsberg became the founding Director of the RTI Global Gender Center, a cross-institute center with over 500 collaborators domestically and internationally.

She started a global feminist group of scientists with NIDA's support with now 42 countries over the last 16 years with a listerve of over 1000+ in substance use research and gender with a yearly conference. Early career investigators are always encouraged.

Education