John Schneider

• MD, MPH
• Professor (Associate) at University of Chicago

Importance Many of the approximately 2 million people being held in US correctional facilities are experiencing an opioid use disorder (OUD). Providing medications for OUD (MOUD) to this population is, therefore, essential to curb the opioid crisis. Objective To examine the types of MOUD jails are making available, factors associated with availabi...

Introduction Black sexually minoritized men and gender‐expansive people (SGM), including transgender women, have higher levels of alcohol use and experience greater negative consequences from alcohol consumption than the general population. We investigated the role of multilevel factors contributing to alcohol use among these groups. Methods We an...

There is much focus in the field of HIV prevention research on understanding the impact of social determinants of health (e.g., housing, employment, incarceration) on HIV transmission and developing interventions to address underlying structural drivers of HIV risk. However, such interventions are resource-intensive and logistically challenging, an...

We describe referrals and uptake of long-acting injectable cabotegravir/rilpivirine (LAI-CAB/RPV) at an academic clinic in Chicago. Using a pharmacy-led model, 118 (18%) people with HIV (PWH) were referred and 78 (12%) initiated LAI-CAB/RPV from 1/1/2021-5/31/2023. Implementation, especially for non-virally suppressed PWH, requires further support...

Objective We conducted a systematic review evaluating the extant literature examining the impacts of cannabis use on HIV-related outcomes among Black sexual minoritized men (BSMM). Design Systematic review Methods We conducted a search in November 2024 of PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science using keywords related to BSMM, HIV, an...

Sexually minoritized men (SMM), transgender women (TW), and particularly Black SMM and Black TW may be disproportionately impacted by alcohol-related problems. Few studies have empirically examined neighborhood factors that may contribute to alcohol use, specifically among these populations. Using data from the N2 longitudinal cohort study in Chica...

Importance Opioid-related overdose accounts for almost 80 000 deaths annually across the US. People who use drugs leaving jails are at particularly high risk for opioid-related overdose and may benefit from take-home naloxone (THN) distribution. Objective To estimate the population impact of THN distribution at jail release to reverse opioid-relat...

Objective Investigation of explainable deep learning methods for graph neural networks to predict HIV infections with social network information and performing domain adaptation to evaluate model transferability across different datasets. Methods Network data from two cohorts of younger sexual minority men (SMM) from two U.S. cities (Chicago, IL,...

Social support has been associated with viral suppression among persons living with HIV (PWH). We examined cross-sectional data from young Black men who have sex with men to see if sociodemographic factors, medical history, and egocentric Facebook social support measures are related to viral suppression. Differences between participants were examin...

Background Rates of congenital syphilis (CS) in the United States (U.S.) have risen sharply in recent years. There has been sparse research centering the voices and experiences of birthing parents who have delivered infants with CS or prenatal providers in Chicago or the surrounding Midwestern United States to date. Additionally, there has been lit...

Importance In 2023, more than 80 000 individuals died from an overdose involving opioids. With almost two-thirds of the US jail population experiencing a substance use disorder, jails present a key opportunity for providing lifesaving treatments, such as medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Objectives To examine the prevalence of MOUD in US...

BACKGROUND Social network data are essential and informative for public health research and implementation as they provide details on individuals and their social context. OBJECTIVE We aimed to generate a more complete sociocentric-like “fuzzy” network by harmonizing alternative sources of egocentric and digital network data to examine relationshi...

Background Social network data are essential and informative for public health research and implementation as they provide details on individuals and their social context. For example, health information and behaviors, such as HIV-related prevention and care, may disseminate within a network or across society. By harmonizing egocentric and digital...

Introduction Forced anal examinations are used to prosecute sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in multiple countries under the presumption that decreased sphincter tone, assessed by a finger inserted into the anal canal, can detect persons practising receptive anal intercourse. Using baseline data from a longitudinal study, we aimed to determine fa...

Transgender women of color (TWOC) experience high rates of police violence and victimization compared to other sexual and gender minority groups, as well as compared to other White transgender and cisgender women. While past studies have demonstrated how frequent police harassment is associated with higher psychological distress, the effect of neig...

Introduction Young sexual minority men (SMM) bear the greatest burden of anal human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. We assessed anal HPV genotype discordance between the Linear Array (LA) and SPF10 PCR-DEIA-LiPA25 (LiPA25). Methods Discordance was assessed between LA and LiPA25 using self-collected anal swabs from 120 SMM aged 18–29 who were recr...

Objective The objective of this study is to use GPS technology to determine if violent and property crime exposure to participants activity spaces affect outcomes of the HIV prevention and care continuum (PCC) among Young Black sexually minoritized men (YBSMM) and Transgender women (TW), a subgroup at high vulnerability for new HIV diagnoses. Expos...

Background Squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) annual incidence among sexual minority men with and without HIV is 85/100,000 and 19/100,000 persons, respectively, which is significantly higher than the overall incidence (2/100,000). Incidence may also be higher in transgender women. Since SCCA tumours average ≥30 mm at diagnosis, we assessed...

Background A collective trauma like COVID-19 impacts individuals differently due to socio-contextual and individual characteristics. Younger adults, minorities, affiliates of certain political parties, and residents of some regions of the United States reported experiencing poorer mental health during the pandemic. Being diagnosed with COVID-19, or...

Black sexually minoritized men (SMM) and transgender women (TW) are subgroups with lower rates of substance use and comparable rates of condom use relative to White SMM and TW yet experience heightened vulnerability to HIV. This study sought to explore associations of substance use, including sex-drug use (i.e., drug or alcohol use during sex to en...

Criminal legal system involvement (CLI) is a critical social determinant of health that lies at the intersection of multiple sources of health disparities. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates many of these disparities, and specific vulnerabilities faced by the CLI population. This study investigated the prevalence of COVID-19-related misinformation,...

Stigma contributes to health disparities including increased HIV vulnerability among minority communities. Black transgender women experience multiple forms of stigma (e.g., anticipated, experienced), which can result in poor HIV-related outcomes. We utilized an adapted social ecological model (ASEM) to better understand the levels at which stigma...

Background Understanding the impact of incarceration on HIV transmission among Black men who have sex with men is important given their disproportionate representation among people experiencing incarceration and the potential impact of incarceration on social and sexual networks, employment, housing, and medical care. We developed an agent-based ne...

Objectives This study investigates primary peer-referral engagement (PRE) strategies to assess which strategy results in engaging higher numbers of people living with HIV (PLWH) who are virally unsuppressed. Design We develop a modeling study that simulates an HIV epidemic (transmission, disease progression, and viral evolution) over 6 years using...

Background Squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) annual incidence among sexual minority men (SMM) with and without HIV is 85/100,000 and 19/100,000 persons, respectively, which is significantly higher than the overall incidence (2/100,000). Since SCCA tumours average ≥30 mm at diagnosis, we assessed the accuracy of individuals to self-detect a...

We report on a preliminary investigation into the relationship between partisan media consumption (PMC) among U.S. adults and their (1) opioid use disorder (OUD) stigma, (2) national OUD policy support (e.g., Medicaid coverage for OUD treatment), (3) local OUD policy support (e.g., safe injection sites), (4) discriminatory OUD policies (e.g., denyi...

Two parallel public health epidemics affecting the United States include the COVID-19 pandemic and a rise in substance use disorders (SUDs). Limited research has examined the potential relationship between these two epidemics. Our objective was therefore to perform an exploratory study in order to examine the association between public stigma towar...

Despite the growing literature on racial-ethnic disparities during the pandemic, less is known about the explanatory mechanisms of these disparities and inequalities across other axes, such as gender and sexual identities. We studied the levels and sources of racial-ethnic, gender identity, and sexual minority disparities in social (i.e., unmet res...

Purpose The rise of fatal stimulant use among adults who use opioids is a public health problem. Internalized stigma is a barrier to substance use treatment, which is greater for women and populations with criminal justice involvement. Methods Using a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States from a probability-based survey o...

This Viewpoint discusses the idea of helping the helpers, those who are supporters or caregivers to individuals with substance use disorder.

BACKGROUND Black cisgender gay, bisexual and other sexual minority men (SMM) and transgender women (TW) continue to be heavily impacted by HIV. Further research is needed to better understand HIV prevention and care outcomes among Black SMM and TW, including the impact of substance use and sleep health, as well as whether neighborhood and network f...

Background Black cisgender gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority men (SMM) and transgender women (TW) continue to be heavily affected by HIV. Further research is needed to better understand HIV prevention and care outcomes in this population. In particular, there is a need for research examining the impact of substance use and sleep health on HI...

Background: Although there is limited literature on medication adherence (including HIV care engagement) and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in general populations (i.e., non-sexual or gender minority populations), even less is known about whether HIV care engagement correlates with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among sexual and gender minorities, especia...

We propose the observational-implementation hybrid approach -- the incorporation of implementation science methods and measures into observational studies to collect information that would allow researchers to anticipate, estimate, or infer about the effects of interventions and implementation strategies. Essentially, we propose that researchers co...

Individual-level behavior can be influenced by injunctive and descriptive social network norms surrounding that behavior. There is a need to understand how the influence of social norms within an individual’s social networks may influence individual-level sexual behavior. We aimed to typologize the network-level norms of sexual behaviors within the...

Background: Opioid overdose rates have steadily been increasing in the United States (US) creating what is considered an overdose death crisis. The US has a mixture of public health and punitive policies aimed to address opioid use and the overdose crisis, yet little is known about public opinion relating to opioid use and policy support. Understa...

Using a nationally representative household sample, we sought to better understand types of medical mistrust as a driver of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. We used survey responses to conduct a latent class analysis to classify respondents into categories and explained this classification as a function of sociodemographic and attitudinal variables usin...

Purposeof Review To describe 4 primary areas of trauma experienced by black transgender women, resilience demonstrated by the community, and opportunities for trauma surgeons to better serve this community. Recent Findings Transphobia, racism, and misogyny place black transgender women at high risk for mistreatment in the workplace, criminal legal...

Black sexual minority men (SMM) in the Deep South are heavily impacted by HIV; yet studies fail to consider discordance across aspects of sexual orientation (i.e., identity, attraction, behavior) or how a lack of concordance enhances vulnerability to HIV. We sought to explore the overlap across aspects of sexual orientation and examine associations...

Drawing on a social integration and intersectionality framework, this study advances a dynamic network understanding of the mechanisms that enable differential patterns of within-group social integration and segregation among Black sexual and gender minorities (BSGM). Specifically, in a cohort of BSGM (18-35 years of age, n = 340) participating in...

Context: Medicaid expansion has been nationally shown to improve engagement in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment and prevention continua, which are vital steps to stopping the HIV epidemic. New HIV infections in the United States are disproportionately concentrated among young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM). Houston, TX, is...

Introduction The American Medical Association recently declared homicides of transgender individuals an epidemic. However, transgender homicide victims are often classified as nontransgender. Our objective was to describe existing data and coding of trans (i.e., transgender) victims and to examine the risk factors for homicides of trans people rela...

Black sexual minority men (BSMM) and Black transgender women (BTW) are disproportionately impacted by HIV and incarceration in the United States. In-depth interviews (N=34) and ongoing thematic analysis guided by the Exploration Phase of the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment framework were conducted to uncover key themes focused...

Black and Latino sexual minority men (SMM) continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV. We utilized eight components of the Meaningful Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (MIPA) framework to assess the engagement of Black and Latino SMM. Thirty-six (36) studies were included in the literature review. Forty-two percent of studies were B...

Although the HIV epidemic in Athens, Greece has reemerged and spread in men who have sex with men (MSM), state-supported PrEP programs have not been instituted. A PrEP intervention was implemented building upon an existing network cohort of MSM (308 participants; 1212 network members). A PrEP intervention cohort of 106 participants was selected bas...

To explore the attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers in the US, we surveyed three groups of individuals (essential non-healthcare workers, general healthcare workers, and correctional healthcare workers). We found surprisingly high portions of healthcare workers with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy/resistance, with 23% of correc...

Use of long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LAI-ART) depends on patient awareness, provider discussion, and patient willingness to use. We conducted a post-visit survey with patients at three HIV clinics in San Francisco, Chicago, and Atlanta in May 2021 to assess for inequities in these early implementation phases.

BACKGROUND In the United States, primary and secondary syphilis rates have increased more rapidly among men who have sex with men (MSM) than any other subpopulation. Rising syphilis rates among MSM reflect changes in both individual behaviors and the role of sexual networks (e.g., persons linked directly or indirectly by sexual contact) in infectio...

Background: In the United States, the rates of primary and secondary syphilis have increased more rapidly among men who have sex with men (MSM) than among any other subpopulation. Rising syphilis rates among MSM reflect changes in both individual behaviors and the role of sexual networks (eg, persons linked directly or indirectly by sexual contact...

PrEP uptake and adherence among young Black sexual minority men (YBSMM), has been sub-optimal. Multiple studies identified sleep as an important determinant of medication adherence, although it has not been examined with regard to PrEP among YBSMM. This study utilized data collected from HIV-negative cisgender YBSMM in the Neighborhoods and Network...

Purpose: Even with an efficacious vaccine, protective behaviors (social distancing, masking) are essential for preventing COVID-19 transmission and could become even more important if current or future variants evade immunity from vaccines or prior infection. Methods: We created an agent-based model representing the Chicago population and conduc...

HIV prevention interventions that leverage endogenous peer leaders to communicate about Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and other HIV prevention tools in their social networks offer a way to reach greater portions of communities most impacted by HIV like Black/African American gay, bisexual, same gender-loving, and other sexual minority men (BSMM)....

Background: The purpose of this study was to adapt and pilot-test an employment support, primary HIV intervention tailored to the needs of adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM) and adolescent transgender women (ATGW) of color. Setting: The intervention was implemented in two settings: controlled environment (Phase 1) and real-world communi...

Objective(s) Getting to Zero (GTZ) is an Illinois-based HIV elimination initiative. GTZ identifies younger Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) as a population who have experienced disproportionate HIV incidence. Rising stimulant use among YBMSM has been determined to impede engagement in the HIV prevention and treatment continua for reducing on...

Purpose To examine associations between COVID-19-related stressors and symptoms of depression and anxiety in Black cisgender sexual minority men (SMM) and transgender women during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Participants from the N2 Cohort Study comprised Black cisgender SMM and Black transgender women in Chicago, IL, comple...

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication that prevents HIV acquisition, yet PrEP uptake has been low among people who inject drugs. Stigma has been identified as a fundamental driver of population health and may be a significant barrier to PrEP care engagement among PWID. However, there has been limited research on how stigma operates in rur...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound impacts on mental health. We examined whether mental health differed based on sociodemographic and background characteristics, political party affiliation, and concerns about COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional, national sample of 1095 U.S. adults were surveyed October 22-26, 2020. The survey c...

Objectives Young sexual minority men (SMM) exhibit a high prevalence and incidence of high-risk genotypes of human papillomavirus (hrHPV) anal infections and a confluence of a high prevalence of HIV and rectal STIs. Social determinants of health (SDOHs) are linked to social network contexts that generate and maintain racial disparities in HIV and S...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the opioid overdose crisis in the US. Rural communities have been disproportionately affected by opioid use and people who use drugs in these settings may be acutely vulnerable to pandemic-related disruptions due to high rates of poverty, social isolation, and pervasive resource limitations. Methods:...

Background In response to COVID-19, the city of Chicago issued stay-at-home orders, which began on March 20, 2020, and restrictions meant to “flatten the curve” remained in effect until June 2, 2020. On June 3, 2020, Chicago entered the reopening phase. This study compares rates of polysubstance use by COVID-19 lockdown phase and across sociodemogr...

This study investigates the two-mode core-periphery structures of venue affiliation networks of younger Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM). The study examined the association between these structures and HIV phylogenetic clusters, defined as members who share highly similar HIV strains that are regarded as a proxy for sexual affiliation networ...

Objectives: We examined whether molecular cluster membership was associated with public health identification of HIV transmission potential among named partners in Chicago. Design: Historical cohort study. Methods: We matched and analyzed HIV surveillance and partner services data from HIV diagnoses (2012-2016) prior to implementation of clust...

We examined partner-seeking and sexual behaviors among a representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 1,161) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 10% of survey respondents sought a new partner, with age and sexual identity being associated with partner seeking behavior. Approximately 7% of respondents had sex with a new partne...

Protective behaviors such as mask wearing and physical distancing are critical to slow the spread of COVID-19, even in the context of vaccine scale-up. Understanding the variation in self-reported COVID-19 protective behaviors is critical to developing public health messaging. The purpose of the study is to provide nationally representative estimat...

A fragmented U.S. healthcare delivery system may reflect a highly brokered communication network controlled by only a few brokers. Such relational inequality in brokerage influences the formation of interorganizational brokerage relations. This chapter presents the theoretical mechanisms that underlie the reasoning of instantiating organizational p...

In 2019, the US Government announced its goal to end the HIV epidemic within 10 years, mirroring the initiatives set forth by UNAIDS. Public health prevention interventions are a crucial part of this ambitious goal. However, numerous challenges to this goal exist, including improving HIV awareness, increasing early HIV infection detection, ensuring...

Background: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) requires continued use at an effective dosage to reduce HIV incidence. Data suggest early PrEP drop-off among many populations. We sought to describe PrEP use over the first year among racial and ethnic minority patients in the US. Setting: Racial and ethnic minority patients initiating PrEP at a f...

This study investigated sexual identity and behavior and their potential associations with PrEP use and attitudes in cisgender Black gay and bisexual men. A total of N = 173 (mean age 25.2) participants from the Neighborhoods and Networks (N2) Study in Chicago were included. Of these, 104 were gay-identified and reported sex with men only (GSMO), 2...

Objective(s): Young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) are a key population identified in the Illinois Getting to Zero (GTZ) initiative who have experienced disproportionate HIV incidence. Rising stimulant use has been determined to impede the effectiveness of ART and pre-exposure prophylaxis for suppressing HIV transmission in populations. Th...

Background: This study seeks to understand the general adult population’s knowledge, attitudes, and stigma towards opioid use disorder (OUD), people with histories of opioid misuse, and policies related to OUD. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional national survey of the U.S. adult population, using AmeriSpeak’s® web, probability-based panel. The...

Background: COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted vulnerable populations, including Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) and transgender women (BTW). We investigated associations of COVID-19 stressors and sex behaviors with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and antiretroviral therapy (ART) among BMSM and BTW. Methods: As part of the Neighborh...

Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) and Black transgender women (BTW) are impacted by dual epidemics of HIV and incarceration. We advanced understanding of the relationship between criminal justice involvement, HIV, and other key HIV-related characteristics among these key populations in the US. We conducted a systematic review up to 2018 and 47...

Community-clinic linkages may help communities increase HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake. Referrals from community-based organizations may be particularly important for linking Black men who have sex with men (MSM) to PrEP. This study describes PrEP referral and HIV/STI prevention networks among organizations that serve MSM in Houston, TX...

Peer leader interventions are effective strategies for promoting prevention behaviors in communities at risk for HIV, yet little is known about their effects on the social and behavioral dynamics of peer leaders themselves. Using data from PrEP Chicago, an RCT PrEP for prevention intervention for young Black MSM (YBMSM), we apply stochastic actor-b...

Criminal justice involved (CJI) individuals with a history of opioid use disorder (OUD) are at high risk of overdose and death in the weeks following release from jail. We developed the Justice-Community Circulation Model (JCCM) to investigate OUD/CJI dynamics post-release and the effects of interventions on overdose deaths. The JCCM uses a synthet...

Shared decision making is a collaborative process intended to develop a treatment plan that considers both the patient’s preferences and the health provider’s medical recommendations. It is one approach to reducing healthcare disparities by improving patient-provider communication and subsequent health outcomes. This study examines shared decision...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Objectives: Getting to Zero (GTZ) initiatives focus on expanding use of antiretroviral treatment (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to eliminate new HIV infections. Computational models help inform policies for implementation of ART and PrEP continuums. Such models, however, vary in their design, and may yield inconsistent predictions. Using...

Background South Asian adults have worse cardiovascular health (CVH) and more coronary artery calcium compared with other race/ethnicities. The impact of the social environment has not been examined as a potential driver of CVH or coronary artery calcium in this population. We evaluated associations of social network characteristics with CVH and co...

Individuals with a history of opioid use are disproportionately represented in Illinois jails and prisons and face high risks of overdose and relapse at community reentry. Case management and peer recovery coaching are established interventions that may be leveraged to improve linkage to substance use treatment and supportive services during these...

This study introduces an innovative methodological approach to identify potential drivers of structuring HIV-1 transmission clustering patterns between different subpopulations in the culturally and racially/ethnically diverse context of Houston, TX, the largest city in the Southern United States. Using 6332 HIV-1 pol sequences from persons newly d...

Background Upwards of 35% of young gay and bisexual men living with HIV report daily use of cannabis in the U.S. The effects of legalisation of recreational and medical cannabis on the acquisition of cannabis products amongst a group with such high prevalence of use is largely unknown. Methods We investigated potential effects of recent legalisati...

Objective: Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) bear a disproportionate burden of HIV infection in the United States and their risks of acquiring HIV may be shaped by complex multi-layer social networks. These networks are formed through not only direct contact with social/sex partners but also indirect anonymous contacts encountered when attend...

Interventions that utilize the influence of peer change agents (PCAs) have been shown to be effective strategies for engaging key populations in HIV prevention. To date, little is known about the characteristics of PCAs associated with their effectiveness. Drawing on data from a peer leader PrEP intervention for young Black men who have sex with me...

San Francisco was the first city in the USA to develop a Getting to Zero HIV elimination strategy. The cause of decreased HIV incidence has been attributed to the use of biomedical prevention methods, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP). These strategies have benefitted White men who have sex with men (MSM), w...

IntroductionHIV-related stigma continues to serve as a major barrier to HIV care. HIV stigma reduction interventions are urgently needed to promote and protect the health of persons living with HIV (PLWH). Resilience has been identified as a potential leverage to mitigate the impact of HIV-related stigma among PLWH.Methods We examined whether two r...