Jessica  Sales

By training, Dr. Sales is a developmental psychologist with expertise in cognitive and emotional development, and post-doctoral training in behavioral science. She is Co-Director of the Prevention and Implementation Sciences Core of the Emory Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and is the Director the Emory CFAR Implementation Science Hub. She also currently serves as the Co-Director of the RSPH Maternal and Child Health Certificate Program. Much of Dr. Sales' current research focuses on dissemination and implementation science in the context of HIV prevention for women and girls in the Southern US. Specifically, she has served as PI on three implementation science studies designed to facilitate the integration of PrEP for HIV prevention services in Title X-funded family planning clinics across the Southern US. Also, building on her patient-centered research pertaining to unmet needs among girls and women stemming from trauma, she also serves as PI on three NIMH-funded studies to assess readiness and capacity of Ryan White funded HIV clinics to adopt and implement trauma informed care practices in HIV primary care services across the Southeastern US. Dr. Sales was also Co-PI on recently completed CDC-funded U01 to develop, implement and evaluate the efficacy of a multi-level, multimedia intervention designed to simultaneously improve clinical counseling pertaining to contraception and STI/HIV prevention by providers in an adolescent medicine clinic in addition to providing a brief individual-level behavioral intervention with adolescent female clients to improve dual protection use (i.e., highly effective contraception plus condom use). These studies highlight her experience collecting and using formative data to develop, adapt and implement evidence-based interventions in clinical settings, and highlight her most recent research on clinical/practice improvements as a way to improve patient outcomes. She has extensive experience with adaptation and development of assessment tools (both quantitative and qualitative), development of intervention and training materials, including those targeting patients, providers and organizations (e.g., clinics, schools). Further, she have effectively disseminated findings from these projects as indicated by her publication history (served as author or co-author on over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts, as well as over 20 book chapters).