Megan Wilkins, PhD

My research spans different areas related to the lived experiences and psychosocial functioning of youth with HIV, including both independent research efforts and participation and engagement in national consortia and multisite collaborative studies. 

My primary focus is the implementation of trauma-informed care for youth with HIV in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The unique needs of this diverse and resilient patient population require care approaches that recognize the complexities of a person and the impact of trauma on a person’s well-being, as well as work to resist retraumatizing youth and provide meaningful support to staff who provide care in these spaces. In youth with HIV, implementing such a trauma-informed approach is integral to providing responsive and effective HIV care.

While there have been many advancements in availability of antiretroviral therapies for youth in resource-rich settings, research has been mixed regarding the impact of HIV exposure and treatment on cognitive, behavioral and emotional development. As the site psychologist for the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS), my work as part of the Neurodevelopment (ND) Working Group for these studies investigated cognitive, behavioral, adaptive and academic outcomes in youth with HIV exposure and youth with HIV and their caregivers. Working with collaborators from the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trial (IMPAACT) network, I also contributed to projects investigating the impact of HIV reservoirs on cognitive functioning and the efficacy of a combined medication and psychotherapy intervention to improve depressive outcomes in youth with HIV.

Across all the efforts to improve care and treatment for youth with HIV, I strive to combine novel and responsive research methodology and in-depth clinical expertise to advance our understanding and care of psychosocial functioning in youth with HIV in Memphis and beyond.