Laura Starbird, PhD, RN

Laura E. Starbird, PhD, RN is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Dr. Starbird’s research focuses on real-world implementation and the economic implications of interventions at the intersection of women’s health, substance use, and HIV. Her work, informed by experience as a public health nurse, seeks to improve the way organizations deliver care to marginalized communities, rather than placing the burden on the individual patient. In particular, she examines system-, organization-, and provider-level strategies to increase the availability and acceptability of healthcare for individuals affected by substance use, HIV, and interpersonal violence, including the compounding effects of these three conditions on women who use drugs and women who engage in sex work. Trained in comparative and cost-effectiveness research, Dr. Starbird is one of few nurses conducting policy-relevant health economics research in women’s health and substance use. Dr. Starbird has a track record of continuous NIH funding, with current support from a NIDA K01 examining implementation of PrEP for women who inject drugs. Dr. Starbird is also a Research Affiliate of the multi-institutional NIDA-funded Center for Health Economics of Treatment Interventions for Substance Use, HCV, and HIV (CHERISH) and a Faculty Affiliate of the Center for Health Policy at Columbia University.