Supriya D. Mehta, MHS, PhD

Supriya D. Mehta, MHS, PhD, is Professor of Infectious Disease Medicine at Rush University, and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Illinois Chicago. She completed her doctorate in infectious disease epidemiology at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, followed by a CDC-supported post-doctoral fellowship in sexually transmitted infection prevention.

Mehta is committed to research that leads to tangible benefits in sexual and reproductive health. She has been conducting research in Kenya since 2007, where she served as a Co-Investigator to the Randomized Controlled Trial of Medical Male Circumcision to Reduce HIV incidence, subsequently leading studies of surveillance of antibiotic resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and STI incidence among men who have sex with men. Mehta’s studies taking place in Kenya are examining the effect of the penile microbiome on female sex partner’s risk of Bacterial vaginosis and STIs, the effect of menstrual cups on the vaginal microbiome and STI risk among adolescent schoolgirls, and long term impact of COVID-19 and mitigation measures on sexual and reproductive health. Mehta also collaborates with U.S. public health departments to conduct epidemiologic analyses that contribute to improved testing, treatment, and provision of care policies for STIs.