Faculty Profile
Gary Harper, PhD, MPH
- Professor, Health Behavior and Health Equity
Gary W. Harper, PhD, MPH is a Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Equity, as well as a Professor of Global Public Health. Dr. Harper's research and community work focuses on the mental health and sexual health needs of adolescents and young adults who experience varying degrees of oppression and marginalization, especially Black gay/bisexual young men, transgender and non-binary youth, and youth living with HIV. His LGBTQ+ mental health work is focused on increasing access to mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth, and working with policymakers to ban the use of conversion therapy with LGBTQ+ minors. For more than 25 years, Dr. Harper has worked collaboratively with community agencies and community members to develop and evaluate a range of culturally and developmentally appropriate mental health, sexual health, and HIV prevention programs for youth-working domestically in large urban cities and globally in Botswana, Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique, and Zambia. In Dr. Harper's research, he utilizes mixed-methods and qualitative approaches to research; especially methods that help us understand the lived experiences and social justice needs of diverse groups of adolescents and young adults.
- PhD, Psychology, Purdue University, 1993
- MPH, Epidemiology, University of California, Berkeley, 1994
- MS, Psychology, Purdue University, 1989
- BA, Psychology and Biology, Washington University, 1985
Harper GW, Muthigani A, Neubauer LC, Simiyu D, Murphy AG, Ruto, J., Suleta, K., and Muthiani, P. (2018). The development and evaluation of a national school-based HIV prevention intervention for primary school children in Kenya. Journal of HIV and AIDS, 4(1), dx.doi.org/10.16966/2380-5536.150
Reisner, S, Jadwin-Cakmak, L, White Hughto, J, Martinez, M, Salomon, L, Harper, GW (2017). Characterizing the HIV prevention and care continua in a sample of transgender youth in the U.S. AIDS and Behavior, 21(12), 3312-3327.
Graham, SM, and Harper, GW (2017). Improving HIV prevention and care for African GBMSM. Lancet HIV, 4(6), e234-e236.
Wade, RM, and Harper, GW (2017). Young Black gay/bisexual and other men who have sex with men: A review and content analysis of health-focused research between 1988 and 2013. American Journal of Men's Health, 11(5), 1388-1405.
Harper, GW, Tyler, AT, Bruce, D, Graham, L, Wade, RM, and Adolescent Trials Network for HIV/ADIS Interventions. (2016). Drugs, Sex, and Condoms: Identification and Interpretation of Race-Specific Cultural Messages Influencing Black Gay and Bisexual Young Men Living with HIV. American Journal of Community Psychology, 58(3-4), 463-476.
Harper, GW, Wade, RM, Onyango, DP, Abuor, PA, Bauermeister, JA, Odero, WW, and Bailey, RC, (2015). Resilience among gay/bisexual young men in Western Kenya: Psychosocial and sexual health outcomes. AIDS, 29 Suppl, S261-269.
Harper, GW, Bruce, D, Hosek, SG, Fernandez, MI, Rood, B, and Adolescent Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (2014). Resilience processes demonstrated by gay and bisexual young men living with HIV: Implications for intervention. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 28(12), 666-676.
Harper, GW, Lemos, D, Hosek, SG, and Adolescent Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (2014). Stigma reduction in adolescents and young adults newly diagnosed with HIV: Findings from the Project ACCEPT Intervention. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 28(10), 543-554.
Harper, GW, Dolcini, MM, Benhorin, S, Watson, SE, and Boyer, CB (2014). The benefits of a friendship-based HIV/STI prevention intervention for African American youth. Youth and Society, 46(5), 591-622.
Harper, GW, Riplinger, AJ, Neubauer, LC, Murphy, AG, Velcoff, J, and Bangi, AK (2014). Ecological factors influencing HIV sexual risk and resilience among young people in rural Kenya: Implications for prevention. Health Education Research, 29(1), 131-146.
Email: gwharper@umich.edu
Phone: 734-647-9778
Address: 2830 SPH I
1415 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2029
For media inquiries: sph.media@umich.edu
Gary Harper in the News
Gary Harper reappointed to the Michigan State Board of Psychology
This will be Harper’s second term
LGBTQ+ People in Kenya Urgently Need Mental Health Support
New research from Gary Harper