RESEARCH
(contributions to science)
Dr. Threats is the founder and director of the Health Justice Informatics Lab at the University of Michigan School of Information.
Dr. Threats' contributions to science have been focused on three primary areas:​
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health information practices: investigating how communities access and interact with health information, solve problems, make decisions, advance knowledge, and engage in activities. (e.g., information seeking, acquisition, management, generation, communication, and use)
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Determinants of information and health inequities: investigating the existence and magnitude of information and health inequities and how they are influenced by multiple, intersecting, individual, social, and structural-level environmental factors
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Health justice informatics: designing and implementing informatics interventions and consumer health information and technologies that aim to combat the effects of intersecting, multi-level forms of discrimination, including, but not limited to, racism and sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.​
The goal of her research is to translate her findings into the development of policies, programs, and practices that reduce sexual and reproductive health disparities and improve health outcomes among marginalized communities.
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You can learn more about each of Dr. Threats' research areas through the selected publications below.
DETERMINANTS OF INFORMATION AND HEALTH INEQUITIES​
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Noh, M., Mehta, N., Kim, C., Bond, K., Threats, M., Jackson, J. W., ... & Agénor, M. (2025). Association Between Health Care Discrimination and Medical Mistrust Among Black Assigned Female at Birth Adults with Minoritized Sexual and Gender Identities in the United States. LGBT health. https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2024.0263
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Singh S, Mehta N, Noh M, Bond K, Threats M, Jackson JW, Nnawulezi N, Mercedes M, Agénor M. (2025) Weight-based health care discrimination and cervical cancer screening among Black sexual and gender minoritized assigned female at birth adults in the United States, Health Equity 9:1, 22–30. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2024.0158
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Boyd, D., Ramos, R., Whitfield, D., Threats, M., Adebayo, O.W. & Nelson, L.E. (2022). A longitudinal study on the influence of sibling support and HIV testing among Black youth. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-01201-6
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Threats, M., Brawner, B., Montgomery, T., Abrams, J. Jemmott, L., Crouch, P., Freeborn, K, Kamitani, E. & Enah, C. (2021). A review of recent HIV prevention interventions and future considerations for nursing science. Journal of the Association of Nursing in AIDS Care, 32(3), 373-391. https://doi.org/10.1097/JNC.0000000000000246
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Threats, M., Boyd, D., Diaz, J. & Adebayo, O.W. (2021). Deterrents and motivators of HIV testing among young black men who have sex with men in North Carolina. AIDS Care, 33(7), 943-951. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2020.1852161
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Boyd, D. T., Threats, M., Adebayo, O.W. & Nelson, L. E. (2020). The association between African American father-child relationships and HIV testing. American Journal of Men's Health, 14(6), 1557988320982702. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988320982702
HEALTH JUSTICE INFORMATICS​
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Williams, K., Singh, M., Elumn, J., Threats, M. Sha, Y., Wiley, K., McCall, T., Wang, K., Massey, B. & Peng., M. (2024). Enhancing healthcare accessibility through telehealth for justice impacted individuals. Frontiers in Digital Health, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1401950
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Threats, M. (2023). The acceptability of telemedicine and mHealth to help LBQ+ women of color access sexual and reproductive health services. 2023 Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions. Phoenix, AZ. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 57, S477. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaad011
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Sallabank, G., Blackburn, N., Threats, M., Pulley, D.V., Barry, M., LeGrand, S., Harper, G.W., Bauermeister, J.A., Hightow-Weidman, L.B. & Muessig, K.E. (2022). Media representation, perception and stigmatization of race, sexuality and HIV among young Black gay and bisexual men. Culture, Health & Sexuality,1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2021.2008506
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McCall, T., Threats, M., Pillai, M., Lakdawala, A., & Bolton, C. (2022). Design of a mobile app to support self-management of anxiety and depression among Black American women: focus group study. Frontiers in Digital Health, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2022.1028408
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*Blackburn, N., *Dong, W., *Threats, M., Barry, M., LeGrand, S., Hightow-Weidman, L., Soni, K., Pulley, D., Bauermeister, J. & Muessig, K. (2021). Building community in the HIV online intervention space: lessons from the HealthMPowerment Intervention. Health Education & Behavior, 48(5), 604-614. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F10901981211003859 (indicates multiple first authors)
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Barry, M.C., Threats, M., Blackburn, N.A., LeGrand, S., Dong, W., Pulley, D.V., Sallabank, G., Harper, G.W., Hightow-Weidmen, L.B., Bauermeister, J.A. & Muessig, K.E. (2019). “Stay strong! Keep ya head up! Move on! It gets better!!!!”: Resilience processes in the healthMpowerment online intervention of young Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. AIDS Care, 30(SUP5), S27-S38. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2018.1510106
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HEALTH INFORMATION PRACTICES
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Abubakari, G.M., Smith, MDR, Boyd, D., Ramos, SR., Johnson, C., Benavides, J., Threats, M., Allen, J., & Quinn, C. (2022). Assessing different types of HIV communication and sociocultural factors on perceived HIV stigma and testing among a national sample of youth and young adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(2), 1003. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19021003
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Gibson, A.N. & Threats, M. (2021, February 24). Prejurative information politics: strategies for survival, resilience, and liberation. Srygley Lecture series. Florida State University. https://doi.org/10.17615/796e-mv10
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Threats, M. & Bond, K. (2021). HIV information acquisition and use among young black men who have sex with men who use the internet: a mixed methods study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(5), e22986. https://doi.org/10.2196/22986
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