Since the first case of AIDS was reported in the United States in June of 1981, millions more would become infected. An estimated 619,000 have died and an additional 1.2 million adolescents live with the disease, according to the latest government statistics. Perhaps more troubling is that approximately one in five people aren’t aware of their HIV infection, and that cases of AIDS and HIV tend to affect certain demographics more than others.

Meet Dr. Destiny Ramjohn, a sociomedical sciences expert and graduate of Columbia University. Throughout her career, Destiny Ramjohn has utilized qualitative methodologies, needs assessments, community based participatory research, sustainability planning, and other strategies to research and design sociomedical solutions.

More specifically, the research and findings that Dr. Destiny Ramjohn has acquired have allowed her to contribute to patient care and make proposals to alleviate the spread of AIDS and STDs. Destiny Ramjohn has contributed to an article entitled The Influence of Substance Use, Social Sexual Environment, Psychological Factors, and Partner Characteristics on High-Risk Sexual Behavior Among Young Black and Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV: A Qualitative Study, which was published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers.

The article and study has since been cited in numerous journals as a leading source on the sociomedical aspects of the AIDS and HIV epidemic, especially in African American and Latino young men. During our interview with Destiny Ramjohn, we had the opportunity to ask her about her work and research.

“At Mailman, I did a lot of work with vulnerable populations such as young people living with HIV/AIDS,” says Dr. Destiny Ramjohn. “I got a thorough grounding in rigorous qualitative research methods.”

This rigorous grounding in research methods for applied public health research would become the foundation for a successful start to her career. Regardless of any position she may hold, though, Destiny Ramjohn remains dedicated to social justice and using her expertise and experience to benefit the greater good. Destiny Ramjohn hopes the findings from her research concerning AIDS and HIV can be used to address and alleviate the situation in the communities they damage most.