Spotlight of the week

Rainier Masa
Rainier Masa is an associate professor at UNC School of Social Work and a lead researcher with the Global Social Development Innovations Center. He also serves as a research fellow at the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg, as a faculty affiliate of the UNC African Studies Center, and as a member of the UNC Center for AIDS Research. Masa’s research focuses on the economic and social aspects of health in low-resource communities. He conducts research on the intersection of economic security and HIV among adolescents and young adults. He examines how food access, economic vulnerability, and stigma affect risk for HIV transmission and progression along the HIV care continuum, particularly among key populations.