Kristen Kirksey, PhD, MPH

Title(s)Project Policy Analyst, Institute for Health & Aging
SchoolSchool of Nursing
ORCID ORCID Icon0000-0001-9684-4125 Additional info
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    University of Connecticut, Storrs, CTPhD05/2023Sociology
    University of Connecticut, Storrs, CTMA12/2018Sociology
    Tulane University, New Orleans, LAMPH12/2012International Health and Development
    Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TNBA05/2009Medicine, Health, and Society
    Collapse awards and honors
    Society of Family Planning2024  - 2026Changemakers in Family Planning

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
    Doula PrEP Connect: Piloting a Community-Based Strategy to Expand HIV Prevention for Black Women in Mississippi
    RAP CAPS Research Award Sep 1, 2026 - Aug 31, 2027
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Description: This pilot study explores doulas as a trusted, culturally grounded pathway to HIV prevention for Black women in Mississippi. Led by MPIs Kristen Kirksey and Hannah Leslie with community partner Mississippi in Action, the study uses human-centered design and implementation science to co-develop and test a doula training and PrEP referral intervention to address unmet need for HIV prevention among Black women in the US South.
    Susceptibility to contraceptive mis-and dis-information in Mississippi: A community-based survey experiment
    Society of Family Planning Jan 1, 2026 - Dec 31, 2027
    Role: Co-Investigator
    Description: This community-based survey experiment examines susceptibility to contraceptive misinformation and disinformation among Mississippi residents. It tests how messengers such as family, peers, religious leaders, and social media figures shape belief in inaccurate contraceptive information, and what helps people identify it.
    Innovations in Counseling and Follow-up
    Gates Foundation INV-044992Oct 1, 2022 - Oct 30, 2028
    Role: Project Director
    Description: The goal of this study is to develop informed interventions to improve contraceptive counseling and follow-up care for the navigation of bleeding-related and other side effects.

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    Collapse Global Health Equity

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
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    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Women's experiences with and preferences for contraceptive side effect counseling and management: A qualitative study from Ethiopia and Kenya. PLoS One. 2026; 21(6):e0338359. Suchman L, Phillips B, Gitome S, Bizuneh H, Feleke H, Kwena Z, Okumu S, Wekesa P, Bukusi EA, Kirksey K, Holt K, Liu J, Gebrehanna E. PMID: 42371906; PMCID: PMC13313344.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    2. An in-depth interview study of women's perspectives on the effects of contraceptive use on future fertility in Ethiopia and Kenya. Social Science and Medicine - Qualitative Research in Health. 2025; 8. Kirksey K, Feleke H, Okumu S, Bizuneh H, Wekesa P, Suchman L, Phillips B, Kwena Z, Liu J, Bukusi E, Gitome S, Gebrehanna E, Holt K. View Publication.
    3. An in-depth interview study of women's perspectives on the effects of contraceptive use on future fertility in Ethiopia and Kenya. SSM Qual Res Health. 2025 Dec; 8:100624. Kirksey K, Feleke H, Okumu S, Bizuneh H, Wekesa P, Suchman L, Phillips B, Kwena Z, Liu J, Bukusi E, Gitome S, Gebrehanna E, Holt K. PMID: 42245439; PMCID: PMC13233049.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    4. Probability games, workshops and the social world of international science communication. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 2022. Atsbeha E., Holzer E., Anagnostou E., Block P., Alexander S., Negatu S., Kirksey K. .
    5. Technology transfer and everyday life among smallholder farmers: Notes on the small inconveniences that slow the transition to industrial agriculture in Ethiopia. Perspectives on Global Development and Technology. 2022. Negatu S., Holzer E., Atsbeha E., Kirksey K. .
    6. A social history of racial disparities in breastfeeding in the United States. Soc Sci Med. 2021 11; 289:114365. Kirksey K. PMID: 34592542.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    7. Development of an interdisciplinary, multi-method approach to seasonal climate forecast communication at the local scale. Climatic Change. 2020. Alexander S., Atsbeha E., Negatu S., Kirksey K., Brossard D., Holzer E., Block P.
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