Jump to content

Monica Malta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monica Malta
Malta in 2022
Born (1970-09-20) September 20, 1970 (age 54)
Alma materJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Scientific career
FieldsSocial Epidemiology
InstitutionsJohns Hopkins University
University of Toronto

Monica Malta is a Brazilian researcher who works mostly to address health inequalities faced by LGBTQ persons.[1] She is currently a professor at the University of Toronto and a scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She was elected a TED fellow in 2022.[2]

Early life and education

[edit]

Malta was born in Brazil. As a young woman she was part of an abusive relationship, but was able to complete her studies at night. Her undergraduate studies at the Rio de Janeiro State University focused on social psychology, when she worked to improve the available treatments for people who use drugs living in slums/favelas from Rio de Janeiro.[3] She completed both her Masters of Public Health and doctoral research at the National School of Public Health Sérgio Arouca.[4] During her graduate studies she worked and studied to improve the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS,[5][6] and Brazilian women living in deep poverty and experiencing violence.[7][8][9]

She was awarded a National Institutes of Health award and moved to the United States, continuing her studies at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Malta received several international awards from National Institute on Drug Abuse, the World Health Organization, among others [10] At the time she had two young daughters, studying during the day and working as a dishwasher at nigh to support them.[11] Malta started a postdoctoral research in epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University, focusing her studies in human rights violations.[12]

Research and career

[edit]

Malta studies the societal structures that impact the adoption of public health behavior.[13] She has particularly looked at the mental health and HIV diagnoses of people from marginalized groups.[13] She has focused on developing resources for LGBTQ+ people. Amongst the resources she has created, she launched an app that provided information on safe spaces in Brazil for LGBTQ+ people.[14][15]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Malta switched her research focus to the emerging coronavirus. She was diagnosed with the virus in May 2020, and went on to suffer from Long COVID.[16] Her research focused on how South America responded to the pandemic. The region suffers from slow vaccination rates, social inequality and underfunded health systems.[17] She was awarded the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children's Health (CanWaCH) Award for Canadian Excellence in Global Health and Gender Equality in 2020,[18] and was a 2021 Women of Inspiration Finalist.[19] She went on to investigate the mental health experiences of healthcare providers who were treating patients with COVID-19.[18]

Malta was elected a TED fellow in 2022.[2] Her fellowship advocated for human rights and the development of resources to mitigate the impacts of gender-based violence.[2] She is currently serving on the leadership team of 500 Women Scientists.[20]

Selected publications

[edit]
  • Monica Malta; Leticia Oliveira Cardoso; Francisco Inacio Bastos; Monica Maria Ferreira Magnanini; Cosme Marcelo Furtado Passos da Silva (1 June 2010). "STROBE initiative: guidelines on reporting observational studies". Revista de Saude Publica. 44 (3): 559–565. doi:10.1590/S0034-89102010000300021. ISSN 0034-8910. PMID 20549022. Wikidata Q84407829.
  • Monica Malta; Steffanie A Strathdee; Monica M F Magnanini; Francisco I Bastos (1 August 2008). "Adherence to antiretroviral therapy for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome among drug users: a systematic review". Addiction. 103 (8): 1242–1257. doi:10.1111/J.1360-0443.2008.02269.X. ISSN 0965-2140. PMID 18855813. Wikidata Q22242638.
  • Monica Malta; Monica M F Magnanini; Steffanie A Strathdee; Francisco I Bastos (20 November 2008). "Adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected drug users: a meta-analysis". AIDS and Behavior. 14 (4): 731–747. doi:10.1007/S10461-008-9489-7. ISSN 1090-7165. PMID 19020970. Wikidata Q37330136.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Malta, M.; Gomes De Jesus, J.; Legrand, S.; Seixas, M.; Benevides, B.; Silva MDD; Lana, J. S.; Huynh, H. V.; Belden, C. M.; Whetten, K. (2020). "'Our life is pointless … ': Exploring discrimination, violence and mental health challenges among sexual and gender minorities from Brazil". Global Public Health. 15 (10): 1463–1478. doi:10.1080/17441692.2020.1767676. PMID 32436430. S2CID 218765120. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  2. ^ a b c "Meet the 2022 class of TED Fellows | TED Blog". 22 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  3. ^ Malta, Mônica; Carneiro‐da‐Cunha, Claudia; Kerrigan, Deanna; et al. (15 December 2003). "Case Management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Infected Injection Drug Users: A Case Study in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil" (PDF). Clinical Infectious Diseases. 37 (s5): S386–S391. doi:10.1086/377546. PMID 14648453. S2CID 3113750.
  4. ^ "DCS - Departamento de Ciências Sociais - Perfil do Pesquisador". www.ensp.fiocruz.br. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  5. ^ Malta, Monica; Bastos, Francisco I.; Da Silva, Cosme M F P.; Pereira, Gerson Fernando Mendes; Lucena, Francisca F A.; Fonseca, Maria G P.; Strathdee, Steffanie A. (2009). "Differential Survival Benefit of Universal HAART Access in Brazil: A Nation-Wide Comparison of Injecting Drug Users Versus Men Who Have Sex With Men". Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 52 (5): 629–635. doi:10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181b31b8a. PMC 2787684. PMID 19675464. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  6. ^ Malta, Monica; Da Silva, Cosme M F P.; Magnanini, Monica MF; Wirtz, Andrea L.; Perissé, André R S.; Beyrer, Chris; Strathdee, Steffanie A.; Bastos, Francisco I. (2015). "Improvement of HAART in Brazil, 1998–2008: a nationwide assessment of survival times after AIDS diagnosis among men who have sex with men". BMC Public Health. 15: 226. doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1530-y. PMC 4369842. PMID 25886530. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  7. ^ Malta, Monica; Monteiro, Simone; Lima, Rosa Maria Jeronymo; Bauken, Suzana; Marco, Aliamar de; Zuim, Gleisse Cristine; Bastos, Francisco Inacio; Singer, Merrill; Strathdee, Steffanie Anne (2008). "HIV/AIDS risk among female sex workers who use crack in Southern Brazil" (PDF). Revista de Saúde Pública. 42 (5): 830–837. doi:10.1590/S0034-89102008000500007. PMID 18833383.
  8. ^ Malta, M.; Todd, C. S.; Stibich, M. A.; Garcia, T.; Pacheco, D.; Bastos, F. I. (2010). "Patient-provider communication and reproductive health among HIV-positive women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil" (PDF). Patient Education and Counseling. 81 (3): 476–482. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2010.09.013. PMID 20947284. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  9. ^ "A day in the life of Monica Malta". Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  10. ^ "Former NIDA Humphrey Fellow Named ISAJE/WHO Young Scholar". April 2010. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  11. ^ "Monica Malta". Mothers in Science. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  12. ^ Malta, Monica; Beyrer, Chris (2013). "The HIV epidemic and human rights violations in Brazil". Journal of the International AIDS Society. 16 (1): 18817. doi:10.7448/IAS.16.1.18817. PMC 3827457. PMID 24225350.
  13. ^ a b "Dr. Monica Malta". CAMH. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  14. ^ "U of T researcher launches app to tackle violence against Brazil's LGBTQ community: Reuters". University of Toronto News. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  15. ^ "As murders soar, new app maps LGBT+ safe spaces in Brazil". Reuters. 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  16. ^ Malta, Monica (2020-10-01). "My journey with COVID-19". eClinicalMedicine. 27: 100599. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100599. ISSN 2589-5370. PMC 7567670. PMID 33103091.
  17. ^ Malta, Monica; Vettore, Mario Vianna; da Silva, Cosme Marcelo Furtado Passos; Silva, Angelica Baptista; Strathdee, Steffanie A. (September 2021). "The foreseen loss of the battle against COVID-19 in South America: A foretold tragedy". eClinicalMedicine. 39: 101068. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101068. ISSN 2589-5370. PMC 8339878. PMID 34377968.
  18. ^ a b "2020 CanWaCH Awards Recipients". CanWaCH. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  19. ^ "2021 Women of Inspiration Finalists". Universal Women's Network. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  20. ^ "500 Women Scientists - Who We Are". Retrieved 2022-05-12.