UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Public health scholar, HIV prevention researcher, and health equity advocate
Working at the intersection of community health, policy, and systems, using public health & implementation science frameworks to design and evaluate interventions that center sexual and gender minority communities, particularly those of color.
I am a public health scholar and HIV prevention researcher with a PhD in Community Health Sciences from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. My work sits at the intersection of community health, policy, and health systems. I am driven by actionable research questions, ones that produce evidence capable of informing policy decisions and improving the design, implementation, and evaluation of public health interventions for those who need them most.
My research spans HIV prevention science, sexual and gender minority health, and health equity, with specific focus on Black and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) communities. My dissertation applies a convergent parallel mixed methods design to assess the design preferences and acceptability of a PrEP-based conditional cash transfer intervention among Black and Latino MSM in Los Angeles County. This research integrates discrete choice experiments, qualitative in-depth interviews, and implementation science frameworks.
Beyond the dissertation, I am developing a program of research on burnout prevention among HIV frontline workers, a line of inquiry rooted in my MPH capstone and oriented toward the structural and organizational conditions that shape workforce sustainability in community health settings.
HIV Prevention Science
PrEP uptake, conditional cash transfers, structural barriers, behavioral intervention design
SGM Health Equity
Sexual and gender minority health, racial health disparities, LGBTQ+ community-centered research
Implementation Science
Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA), Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)
Public Health & HIV Workforce Health
Burnout prevention among HIV frontline workers; sustainability of the HIV care and prevention workforce
Research
Dissertation · 2026
"Cashing in on HIV Prevention: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study Assessing the Preferences and Acceptability of Conditional Cash Transfers Among Black and Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men in Los Angeles County"
An exploratory mixed methods study drawing on the Incentives & Prevention Study (TIPS), a NIMH-funded pilot project aimed at identifying the preferences of conditional cash transfer (CCT) interventions to promote HIV prevention behaviors. This dissertation research employs thematic analysis to assess intervention acceptability through the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA), and discrete choice experiments (DCEs) to evaluate whether PrEP use status and housing stability moderate CCT design preferences. Convergent findings indicate that payment amount, frequency, and type are the primary drivers of acceptability across subgroups, while PrEP type and housing status exert limited moderating influence on those preferences.
Qualitative Acceptability Study
In-depth interviews with N=20 participants exploring perceptions of PrEP-based CCTs through the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Constructs examined include affective attitude, perceived effectiveness, intervention coherence, burden, and self-efficacy.
Thematic Analysis · TFACCT Design Preferences, PrEP Use
A discrete choice experiment quantifying participant preferences across CCT program attributes moderated by PrEP use status. Analyzed using conditional logistic regression with cluster-robust standard errors in Stata.
DCE · Behavioral Moderation AnalysisCCT Design Preferences, Housing Status
Parallel DCE analysis examining how housing instability shapes CCT design preferences among Black and Latino gay and bisexual men, illuminating how structural precarity intersects with intervention acceptability.
DCE · Structural Moderation AnalysisEmerging Research Area
Burnout Prevention Among HIV Frontline Workers
Rooted in MPH capstone, 2019
The sustainability of the HIV response depends on the wellbeing of its workforce, yet burnout among frontline HIV prevention and care workers remains critically understudied. This developing research agenda applies implementation science frameworks to examine structural and organizational contributors to burnout and to evaluate intervention strategies that support workforce retention and resilience in community health settings.
Publications
Selected publications. First-authored papers denoted in color.
Preferences for HIV prevention conditional cash transfer programs among Black/African American and Latinx cisgender MSM in Los Angeles.
AIDS. 2025. doi:10.1097/QAD.0000000000004361
Use of and Attitudes Toward Technology Among Young People Living With HIV in San Francisco: Cross-Sectional Study.
JMIR Formative Research. 2025. doi:10.2196/81845
High interest for long-acting injectable PrEP among Men who have Sex with Men at most risk for HIV in San Francisco, 2021.
Sexual Health. 2024. doi:10.1071/SH23085
Transgender Women Experiencing Homelessness, National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Among Transgender Women, Seven Urban Areas, United States, 2019–2020.
MMWR Supplements. 2024. doi:10.15585/mmwr.su7301a5
Methods & Expertise
Community-Engaged Research
Research design rooted in community engagement, advocacy, and participatory methods, centering communities most impacted by health inequities as active collaborators and stakeholders.
Discrete Choice Experiments
Design and analysis of DCEs to quantify intervention preferences and trade-offs. Proficient in Stata (cmclogit, clogit, cluster-robust SEs) and experienced in attribute development, experimental design, and pilot testing with community samples.
Qualitative Methods
Semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. Trained in phenomenology and thematic analysis. Experienced in codebook development, Dedoose analysis, and deductive and inductive coding strategies.
Background
Education & Training
2026
PhD, Community Health Sciences
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health · Los Angeles, CA
Dissertation: Cashing in on HIV Prevention. Convergent parallel mixed methods design. Committee Chair: Dr. Michael Prelip. Doctoral Minor in Social Welfare, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
2019
MPH, Health & Social Behavior
UC Berkeley School of Public Health · Berkeley, CA
Capstone: To the Finish Line & Beyond: Understanding the Factors Leading to Burnout among HIV Care Navigators. Advisor: Dr. Mark Fleming.
2014
BA, Community Health
New Mexico State University · Las Cruces, NM
College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation · Department of Public Health Sciences.
Teaching Experience
2025 – 2026
Teaching Consultant
PH 50 A & B: Fundamentals of Public Health · UCLA
Required undergraduate series for public health majors.
2024 – 2025
Graduate Student Instructor
UCLA Public Health Scholars Program Seminar
CDC John R. Lewis Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program.
2024
Teaching Assistant
CHS 211 A & B: Program Planning, Research & Evaluation · UCLA
Required graduate course in Community Health Sciences.
Research Experience
2022 – 2026
Graduate Student Researcher, TIPS Study
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health · Los Angeles, CA
Sole graduate researcher on the NIMH-funded Incentives and Prevention Study. Led protocol development, IRB compliance, and data collection. Recruited 133 participants and conducted 20 qualitative in-depth interviews. Produced all analytic codebooks, do-files, and research logbooks. Resulting in 1 peer-reviewed publication.
2024
Graduate Student Researcher, Initiative to Study Hate
UCLA · California Civil Rights Department
Conducted a systematic review of 45 peer-reviewed studies on mental health interventions for hate crime survivors. Produced a 16-page literature review identifying mechanisms of action and critical research gaps for policy and program development.
2022
Graduate Student Researcher, Project REFOCUS
Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice & Health · UCLA
Contributed to a CDC-funded data dashboard monitoring social stigma and health disparities among marginalized populations. Resulting in 1 peer-reviewed publication on COVID-19 vaccination inequities.
2019 – 2021
Project Coordinator, Center for Public Health Research
San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH)
Coordinated three studies at SFDPH including the NHBS-Trans Study Cycle, The Partners Study, and the NHBS-MSM Study Cycle. Contributed to 15+ publications across these projects.
2016 – 2019
Digital HIV Care Navigator, Health eNav
CPHR, San Francisco Department of Public Health
Recruited and navigated 120 young people living with HIV in a novel mHealth text messaging intervention. Contributed to 6 peer-reviewed publications, including 1 first-authored feasibility and acceptability study in JMIR mHealth and uHealth.
Fellowships & Awards
California HIV/AIDS Research Program Mentored Training Program Award
California HIV/AIDS Research Program · 2026
$10,000
Celia G. and Joseph G. Blann Fellowship
Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA · 2026
$10,000
Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellowship
UCLA Graduate Division · 2024–2025 & 2021–2022
$30,000 + tuition & fees (2024–25) · $25,000 + tuition & fees (2021–22)
Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Award
UCLA Graduate Division · Summer 2024 & Summer 2023
$6,000 each year · Principal Investigator
Emily Dion Memorial Scholarship
UC Berkeley Graduate Division · 2017–2018
$8,000
Contact
Whether you are looking for a research collaborator, a speaker on HIV prevention and health equity, or a partner for your public health program, I would love to hear from you.
dillontrujillo@ucla.edu