Kimberly M. Nelson, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor
Boston University School of Public Health
Community Health Sciences

PhD, University of Washington
MS, University of Washington
MPH, University of Washington
BA, Wesleyan University

Pronouns: she/her/hers



Kimberly M. Nelson, PhD, MPH earned her MPH in epidemiology from the University of Washington (UW) and a PhD in clinical psychology also from UW. She also completed a fellowship at the Fordham University Research Ethics Training Institute. Having both a public health and psychology background, Dr. Nelson's research focuses on understanding and intervening on psychological and structural determinants of health inequities with a particular focus on sexual health inequities among marginalized adolescents and adults. Additionally her work focuses on the ethical and legal issues involved in sexual health research and interventions with adolescents and ways to use technology effectively and ethically for data collection and health promotion interventions.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

In my roles as a researcher, clinician, teacher/mentor, and faculty member I am dedicated to the promotion of social justice, inclusivity, diversity, and equity. As a cisgender, white female from a middle/upper-class family I have a substantial amount of advantages. These advantages have opened many doors for me and allowed me the opportunity to take risks that would not have been feasible without the societal approval and financial stability conferred by these socio-demographic factors. In all roles, I am dedicated to openly acknowledging and addressing my positionality and seek to decrease inequities and their deleterious effects. I strongly believe in the importance of cultural humility and collaborating with and learning from those who are marginalized in our society. As such, in my research I work with community-based organizations and community advisory boards and conduct qualitative formative work to understand the lived experience of the populations I am trying to serve. Further, I welcome discussions of discrimination and inequity with the hope that through open discussion and acknowledgement there will be opportunities to increase understanding, inclusivity, diversity, and equity. Lastly, I believe that learning and growth related to advantages, systems of power and oppression, and ways to address inequities is an ongoing process. Keeping an open mind, being aware of my own advantages and shortcomings, and recognizing that those who face discrimination and injustice are the experts in those experiences help me to more effectively champion the goals of social justice, inclusivity, diversity, and equity within BU and the field of public health as a whole.

Associate Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Psychiatry


Member
Boston University
Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research




Online environments and women’s health: Opportunities for supporting health among women across the life course
03/07/2022 - 12/26/2025 (Multi-PI)
PI: Kimberly M. Nelson, PhD, MPH
Ernst & Young U.S. LLP


Online education for high school students to reduce HIV and related sexual behavior risk
05/17/2021 - 04/30/2025 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
5R21HD105482-02

Minor Consent Laws and HIV Prevention Among Adolescents in the United States
12/25/2019 - 10/31/2024 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
5R01MH119892-05

Adolescent sexual health behaviors in the time of COVID-19
08/20/2021 - 06/30/2024 (Multi-PI)
PI: Kimberly M. Nelson, PhD, MPH
Center for Innovative Public Health Research NIH NICHD
5R01HD106635-02

Measuring Fluidity in Sexual Orientation Dimensions Prospectively and Retrospectively in a National Cohort of Adolescents and Young Adults
09/14/2020 - 05/31/2024 (Subcontract PI)
The Children's Hospital Corporation NIH NIMHD
5R21MD015838-02

Influences on risk behaviors among young men
10/28/2019 - 05/31/2021 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
5K23MH109346-06



Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs
2024 Sexual health behaviors among US adolescents and young adults 1R01HD112411-01A1
2024 Adolescent health behaviors in the time of COVID-19 5R01HD106635-04
2024 Minor Consent Laws and HIV Prevention Among Adolescents in the United States 5R01MH119892-05
2023 Adolescent health behaviors in the time of COVID-19 5R01HD106635-03
2023 Minor Consent Laws and HIV Prevention Among Adolescents in the United States 5R01MH119892-04
2022 Adolescent health behaviors in the time of COVID-19 5R01HD106635-02
2022 Online education for high school students to reduce HIV and related sexual behavior risk 5R21HD105482-02
2022 Minor Consent Laws and HIV Prevention Among Adolescents in the United States 5R01MH119892-03
2021 Adolescent health behaviors in the time of COVID-19 1R01HD106635-01
2021 Online education for high school students to reduce HIV and related sexual behavior risk 1R21HD105482-01
Showing 10 of 23 results. Show All Results

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis       Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

  1. Underhill K, Earnshaw VA, Nelson KM. The Synergistic Health Threats of State Laws Targeting Marginalized Groups in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2024 Sep 19; e1-e9. PMID: 39298696; DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307830;
     
  2. Gordon AR, Haiken S, Murchison GR, Agénor M, Hughto JMW, Nelson KM. Long-Acting Injectable Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Perceptions and Preferences Among Transgender and Nonbinary Young Adults in the United States. Qual Health Res. 2024 Aug 02; 10497323241265943.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39095331
     
  3. Katz-Wise SL, Ranker LR, Korkodilos R, Conti J, Nelson KM, Xuan Z, Gordon AR. Will all youth answer sexual orientation and gender-related survey questions? An analysis of missingness in a large U.S. survey of adolescents and young adults. Psychol Methods. 2024 Apr 04.View Related Profiles. PMID: 38573664; PMCID: PMC11450101; DOI: 10.1037/met0000652;
     
  4. Nelson, KM, Campbell, JK, Rahimian, AN, Frieson, TM, Moslander, DE, Victoria E. Richardson, VE, & Rothman, EF. “We’re All Still Learning About How to Talk About Porn”: Teacher and Administrator Perspectives About Inclusion of Education About Pornography in Massachusetts High School Sex Education Programs. Sexuality Research and Social Policy. 2024; ePub Online. View Publication
  5. Stout CD, Ybarra ML, Mitchell KJ, Nelson KM. "An escape from the isolation": Youth thoughts about the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent sexual behavior and alcohol use. J Adolesc. 2024 Jun; 96(4):865-873. PMID: 38311967; PMCID: PMC11153035; DOI: 10.1002/jad.12303;
     
  6. Zapata JP, Hirshfield S, Nelson K, Horvath K, John SA. Preferred Characteristics for mHealth Interventions Among Young Sexual Minoritized Men to Support HIV Testing and PrEP Decision-Making: Focus Group Study. JMIR Form Res. 2023 Oct 16; 7:e51103. PMID: 37713640; PMCID: PMC10616747; DOI: 10.2196/51103;
     
  7. Rothman, EF, Campbell, JK, Rahimian, AN, Frieson, TM, Moslander, DE, Richardson, VE, Nelson, KM. “My Sex Ed Teacher Was Extremely Averse to Talking About Sex”: Massachusetts Students’ Experiences With and Recommendations for Sex Education. American Journal of Sexuality Education. 2023; ePub Online. View Publication
  8. Edouard VB, Foley M, Gordon A, Garfield S, Dincer L, Nelson KM. Online environments and women's health: an industry-academic public health research partnership to improve health inequities. Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1176198.View Related Profiles. PMID: 37521982; PMCID: PMC10382618; DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1176198;
     
  9. Katz-Wise SL, Perry NS, Nelson KM, Gordon AR, Ybarra ML. Sexual Fluidity in Identity and Behavior Among Cisgender Youth: Findings from the Longitudinal Growing up with Media Study. J Pediatr. 2023 Jun; 257:113355.View Related Profiles. PMID: 36822509; PMCID: PMC10293031; DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2023.01.020;
     
  10. Haupt KR, Stout CD, Simmons J, Nelson KM. Differences in the sexual health information parents/guardians give their adolescent sexual minority sons by outness. J LGBT Youth. 2024; 21(1):132-149. PMID: 38434757; PMCID: PMC10906741; DOI: 10.1080/19361653.2023.2176399;
     
Showing 10 of 72 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 72 publications over 20 distinct years, with a maximum of 10 publications in 2020

YearPublications
20051
20062
20071
20081
20091
20102
20112
20121
20131
20144
20151
20166
20176
20184
20194
202010
20216
20228
20236
20245
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