Lila Sheira, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Institute for Health & Aging
School of Nursing

Dr. Sheira has over a decade of experience working in community health research settings related to HIV and STI prevention, randomized controlled trials, HIV health, and sexual and reproductive health, spanning from Latin America and the Caribbean to North, East, and Southern Africa. Dr. Sheira also served as a rural community health Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador from 2009-2013 before completing her MPH at UC Berkeley from 2013-2015. She joined UCSF as a data analyst in 2015 and continued working through her PhD, after which she transitioned to a faculty member. Her current research interests include combining statistical and epidemiologic methods with implementation science and translational research to quantify preferences and need for pre-exposure prophylaxis for adolescent girls and young women and translating this data to program planning and policy change.

• Food is Medicine for HIV: Improved health and hospitalizations in the Changing Health through Food Support (CHEFS-HIV) pragmatic randomized trial.
  The Journal of infectious diseases 2024 Palar K, Sheira LA, Frongillo EA, O'Donnell AA, Nápoles TM, Ryle M, Pitchford S, Madsen K, Phillips B, Riley ED, Weiser SD
• Association of Higher Intake of Plant-Based Foods and Protein With Slower Kidney Function Decline in Women With HIV.
  Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2023 Banerjee T, Frongillo EA, Turan JM, Sheira LA, Adedimeji A, Wilson T, Merenstein D, Cohen M, Adimora AA, Ofotokun I, Metsch L, D'Souza G, Fischl MA, Fisher MC, Tien PC, Weiser SD
• Links between Household-Level Income-Generating Agricultural Intervention and the Psychological Well-Being of Adolescent Girls in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Affected Households in Southwestern Kenya: A Qualitative Inquiry.
  The Journal of nutrition 2023 Onono MA, Frongillo EA, Sheira LA, Odhiambo G, Wekesa P, Conroy AA, Cohen CR, Bukusi EA, Weiser SD
• Food Insecurity and Engagement in Transactional Sex Among Female Secondary Students in Rwanda.
  AIDS and behavior 2023 Sheira LA, Izudi J, Gatare E, Packel L, Kayitesi L, Sayinzoga F, Hope R, McCoy SI
• Impact of a livelihood intervention on gender roles and relationship power among people with HIV.
  AIDS (London, England) 2023 Sheira LA, Wekesa P, Cohen CR, Weke E, Frongillo EA, Mocello AR, Dworkin SL, Burger RL, Weiser SD, Bukusi EA
• The impact of cash incentives on mental health among adults initiating antiretroviral therapy in Tanzania.
  AIDS care 2023 Sheira LA, Ryan KP, Fahey CA, Katabaro ED, Sabasaba AN, Njau PF, McCoy SI
• Longitudinal Relationship Between Food Insecurity, Engagement in Care, and ART Adherence Among US Women Living with HIV.
  AIDS and behavior 2023 Palar K, Sheira LA, Frongillo EA, Kushel M, Wilson TE, Conroy AA, Adedimeji A, Merenstein D, Cohen MH, Wentz EL, Adimora AA, Ofotokun I, Metsch LR, Turan JM, Tien PC, Weiser SD
• Depression, anxiety, and burnout among hospital workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.
  PloS one 2022 Pala AN, Chuang JC, Chien A, Krauth DM, Leitner SA, Okoye NM, Costello SC, Rodriguez RM, Sheira LA, Solomon G, Weiser SD
• Effect of 6-month vs. 8-month regimen on retreatment success for pulmonary TB.
  The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease 2022 Izudi J, Sheira LA, Bajunirwe F, McCoy SI, Cattamanchi A
• Effect of a Multisectoral Agricultural Intervention on HIV Health Outcomes Among Adults in Kenya: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.
  JAMA network open 2022 Cohen CR, Weke E, Frongillo EA, Sheira LA, Burger R, Mocello AR, Wekesa P, Fisher M, Scow K, Thirumurthy H, Dworkin SL, Shade SB, Butler LM, Bukusi EA, Weiser SD
• Preliminary Effects of an Urban Gardens and Peer Nutritional Counseling Intervention on HIV Treatment Adherence and Detectable Viral Load Among People with HIV and Food Insecurity: Evidence from a Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in the Dominican Republic.
  AIDS and behavior 2022 Derose KP, Then-Paulino A, Han B, Armenta G, Palar K, Jimenez-Paulino G, Sheira LA, Acevedo R, Fulcar MA, Lugo Bernard C, Veloz Camacho I, Donastorg Y, Wagner GJ
• Mechanisms linking gender-based violence to worse HIV treatment and care outcomes among women in the United States.
  AIDS (London, England) 2022 Jain JP, Sheira LA, Frongillo EA, Neilands TB, Cohen MH, Wilson TE, Chandran A, Adimora AA, Kassaye SG, Sheth AN, Fischl MA, Adedimeji AA, Turan JM, Tien PC, Weiser SD, Conroy AA
• Testing a social network approach to promote HIV self-testing and linkage to care among fishermen at Lake Victoria: study protocol for the Owete cluster randomized controlled trial.
  Trials 2022 Sheira LA, Kwena ZA, Charlebois ED, Agot K, Ayieko B, Gandhi M, Bukusi EA, Thirumurthy H, Camlin CS
• Mental Health Mediates the Association Between Gender-Based Violence and HIV Treatment Engagement in US Women.
  Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2022 Conroy AA, Jain JP, Sheira L, Frongillo EA, Neilands TB, Cohen MH, Wilson TE, Chandran A, Adimora AA, Kassaye S, Sheth AN, Fischl MA, Adedimeji A, Turan JM, Tien PC, Weiser SD
• Menopause Is Associated With Immune Activation in Women With HIV.
  The Journal of infectious diseases 2022 Peters BA, Xue X, Sheira LA, Qi Q, Sharma A, Santoro N, Alcaide ML, Ofotokun I, Adimora AA, McKay HS, Tien PC, Michel KG, Gustafson D, Turan B, Landay AL, Kaplan RC, Weiser SD
• The role of food security in increasing adolescent girls' agency towards sexual risk taking: qualitative findings from an income generating agricultural intervention in southwestern Kenya.
  BMC public health 2021 Onono MA, Odhiambo G, Sheira L, Conroy A, Neilands TB, Bukusi EA, Weiser SD
• Exploring antiretroviral therapy adherence, competing needs, and viral suppression among people living with HIV and food insecurity in the Dominican Republic.
  AIDS care 2021 Derose KP, Han B, Armenta G, Palar K, Then-Paulino A, Jimenez-Paulino G, Sheira LA, Acevedo R, Lugo C, Veloz I, Donastorg Y, Wagner G
• Relationship between food insecurity and smoking status among women living with and at risk for HIV in the USA: a cohort study.
  BMJ open 2021 Sheira LA, Frongillo EA, Hahn J, Palar K, Riley ED, Wilson TE, Adedimeji A, Merenstein D, Cohen M, Wentz EL, Adimora AA, Ofotokun I, Metsch L, Turan JM, Tien PC, Weiser SD
• Water Insecurity is Associated with Lack of Viral Suppression and Greater Odds of AIDS-Defining Illnesses Among Adults with HIV in Western Kenya.
  AIDS and behavior 2021 Nagata JM, Miller JD, Cohen CR, Frongillo EA, Weke E, Burger R, Wekesa P, Sheira LA, Mocello AR, Otieno P, Butler LM, Bukusi EA, Weiser SD, Young SL
• Dietary intake is associated with neuropsychological impairment in women with HIV.
  The American journal of clinical nutrition 2021 Rubin LH, Gustafson DR, Warrior L, Sheira L, Fitzgerald KC, Dastgheyb R, Weber KM, Tien PC, French A, Spence AB, Sharma A, Williams DW, White CJ, Seaberg EC, Frongillo EA, Weiser SD
• Food insecurity and frailty among women with and without HIV in the United States: a cross-sectional analysis.
  Journal of the International AIDS Society 2021 Tan JY, Sheira LA, Frongillo EA, Gustafson D, Sharma A, Merenstein D, Cohen MH, Golub E, Edmonds A, Ofotokun I, Fischl M, Konkle-Parker D, Neilands T, Tien P, Weiser SD
• Household Water and Food Insecurity Are Positively Associated with Poor Mental and Physical Health among Adults Living with HIV in Western Kenya.
  The Journal of nutrition 2021 Miller JD, Frongillo EA, Weke E, Burger R, Wekesa P, Sheira LA, Mocello AR, Bukusi EA, Otieno P, Cohen CR, Weiser SD, Young SL
• Food Insecurity and T-cell Dysregulation in Women Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus on Antiretroviral Therapy.
  Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2021 Peters BA, Sheira LA, Hanna DB, Qi Q, Sharma A, Adedimeji A, Wilson T, Merenstein D, Tien PC, Cohen M, Wentz EL, Kinslow J, Landay AL, Weiser SD
• Food Insecurity and Intimate Partner Violence Among HIV-Positive Individuals in Rural Kenya.
  American journal of preventive medicine 2020 Hatcher AM, Weiser SD, Cohen CR, Hagey J, Weke E, Burger R, Wekesa P, Sheira L, Frongillo EA, Bukusi EA
• Persistent Food Insecurity, but not HIV, is Associated with Depressive Symptoms Among Perinatal Women in Kenya: A Longitudinal Perspective.
  AIDS and behavior 2020 Tuthill EL, Maltby A, Conteh J, Sheira LA, Miller JD, Onono M, Weiser SD, Young SL
• Mechanisms from Food Insecurity to Worse HIV Treatment Outcomes in US Women Living with HIV.
  AIDS patient care and STDs 2020 Weiser SD, Sheira LA, Palar K, Kushel M, Wilson TE, Adedimeji A, Merenstein D, Cohen M, Turan JM, Metsch L, Adimora AA, Ofotokun I, Wentz E, Tien PC, Frongillo EA
• Food Insecurity Is Associated With Lower Levels of Antiretroviral Drug Concentrations in Hair Among a Cohort of Women Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the United States.
  Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2020 Leddy AM, Sheira LA, Tamraz B, Sykes C, Kashuba ADM, Wilson TE, Adedimeji A, Merenstein D, Cohen MH, Wentz EL, Adimora AA, Ofotokun I, Metsch LR, Turan JM, Bacchetti P, Weiser SD
• Associations between food insecurity and psychotropic medication use among women living with HIV in the United States.
  Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences 2020 Whittle HJ, Wolfe WR, Sheira LA, Frongillo EA, Palar K, Merenstein D, Wilson TE, Adedimeji A, Cohen MH, Wentz EL, Tien PC, Weiser SD
• "When I Eat Well, I Will Be Healthy, and the Child Will Also Be Healthy": Maternal Nutrition among HIV-Infected Women Enrolled in a Livelihood Intervention in Western Kenya.
  Current developments in nutrition 2020 McDonough A, Weiser SD, Daniel A, Weke E, Wekesa P, Burger R, Sheira L, Bukusi EA, Cohen CR
• Food Insecurity May Be an Independent Risk Factor Associated with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease among Low-Income Adults in the United States.
  The Journal of nutrition 2020 Golovaty I, Tien PC, Price JC, Sheira L, Seligman H, Weiser SD
• Food insecurity is associated with anxiety, stress, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in a cohort of women with or at risk of HIV in the United States.
  The Journal of nutrition 2019 Whittle HJ, Sheira LA, Wolfe WR, Frongillo EA, Palar K, Merenstein D, Wilson TE, Adedimeji A, Weber KM, Adimora AA, Ofotokun I, Metsch L, Turan JM, Wentz EL, Tien PC, Weiser SD
• The Stigma of Being a Young Parent: Development of a Measurement Tool and Predictors.
  Journal of Child and Family Studies 2019 Whitney S. Rice, Lila A. Sheira, Elizabeth Greenblatt, Madeline Blodgett, Kate Cockrill
• Persistent Food Insecurity Is Associated with Adverse Mental Health among Women Living with or at Risk of HIV in the United States.
  The Journal of nutrition 2019 Tuthill EL, Sheira LA, Palar K, Frongillo EA, Wilson TE, Adedimeji A, Merenstein D, Cohen MH, Wentz EL, Adimora AA, Ofotokun I, Metsch L, Kushel M, Turan JM, Konkle-Parker D, Tien PC, Weiser SD
• Food Insecurity Is Associated With Inflammation Among Women Living With HIV.
  The Journal of infectious diseases 2019 Leddy AM, Roque A, Sheira LA, Frongillo EA, Landay AL, Adedimeji AA, Wilson TE, Merenstein D, Wentz E, Adimora AA, Ofotokun I, Metsch LR, Cohen MH, Tien PC, Turan JM, Turan B, Weiser SD
• Food Insecurity, Internalized Stigma, and Depressive Symptoms Among Women Living with HIV in the United States.
  AIDS and behavior 2018 Palar K, Frongillo EA, Escobar J, Sheira LA, Wilson TE, Adedimeji A, Merenstein D, Cohen MH, Wentz EL, Adimora AA, Ofotokun I, Metsch L, Tien PC, Turan JM, Weiser SD
• Longitudinal associations between food insecurity and substance use in a cohort of women with or at risk for HIV in the United States.
  Addiction (Abingdon, England) 2018 Whittle HJ, Sheira LA, Frongillo EA, Palar K, Cohen J, Merenstein D, Wilson TE, Adedimeji A, Cohen MH, Adimora AA, Ofotokun I, Metsch L, Turan JM, Wentz EL, Tien PC, Weiser SD
• Food Insecurity is Associated with Poor HIV Outcomes Among Women in the United States.
  AIDS and behavior 2017 Spinelli MA, Frongillo EA, Sheira LA, Palar K, Tien PC, Wilson T, Merenstein D, Cohen M, Adedimeji A, Wentz E, Adimora AA, Metsch LR, Turan JM, Kushel MB, Weiser SD
• Higher Body Mass Index Is Associated With Greater Proportions of Effector CD8+ T Cells Expressing CD57 in Women Living With HIV.
  Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2017 Reid MJA, Baxi SM, Sheira LA, Landay AL, Frongillo EA, Adedimeji A, Cohen MH, Wentz E, Gustafson DR, Merenstein D, Hunt PW, Tien PC, Weiser SD, Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS)