Grace John-Stewart, MD, MPH, PhD

Professor of Global Health, Epidemiology, Pediatrics, and Medicine, University of Washington

Dr. Grace John Stewart, MD, MPH, PhD, has conducted research over the past >25 years, with her research growing from an initial focus on HIV transmission and pathogenesis in women and children, as part of a collaborative research team in Kenya. The first studies she conducted were designed to define risk and timing of mother-to-child HIV transmission, particularly to understand breastmilk transmission of HIV. Her group has contributed comprehensively across a spectrum of research that has included clinical trials, molecular epidemiology, implementation science, and large-scale evaluations. In addition, through mentorship she has sought to catalyze new research with young investigators to advance studies of growth, co-infections (herpes viruses, TB), HIV prevention and treatment support in mothers, adolescents, and children. Overall, her research has been disseminated in >400 peer-reviewed publications. The work she does with women and children also led naturally to studies on pathogenesis and interventions to improve outcomes in HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) and infected children and adolescents. She has been a Co-Investigator on studies focused on infectious diseases in women and children and was the Founding Director of the Center for Global Health of Women, Adolescents and Children (Global WACh) for which she currently serves as Co-Director. She is a long-standing member of the UW Kenya Research and Training Center (KRTC) and the team’s research is predominantly based in Kenya. She is committed to mentoring next generation scientific leaders.

Publications

  1. LaCourse, SM, Escudero, JN, Whatney, WE, Krish, KN, Subuddhi, A, Belauret, S et al.. Mtb-specific CFP-10/ESAT-6 CD4 and CD8 T cell non-IFN-γ+ responses are common in young Kenyan children despite low reported TB exposure. J Infect Dis. 2026; :. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiag039. PubMed PMID:41566843 .
  2. Odhiambo, B, Stern, J, Kinuthia, J, Abuna, F, Akim, E, Concepcion, T et al.. Evaluating the safety of prenatal HIV PrEP use: Perinatal outcomes from three cohort studies in Western Kenya. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2026;6 (1):e0005744. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0005744. PubMed PMID:41557717 PubMed Central PMC12818637.
  3. Badia, J, Dyer, J, Agot, K, Wilson, K, Jiang, W, Beima-Sofie, K et al.. Prevalence and Correlates of Violence Among Adolescents and Young Adults Living With HIV in Western Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2026; :. doi: 10.1097/JNC.0000000000000607. PubMed PMID:41505629 .
  4. Dinis, A, Fernandes, Q, Augusto, O, Weiner, BJ, Gimbel, S, Birru, E et al.. Exploring fidelity and its influence on effectiveness in an audit and feedback strategy implemented in a low-resource setting: an application of regression modeling. Implement Sci Commun. 2025; :. doi: 10.1186/s43058-025-00840-8. PubMed PMID:41387938 .
  5. Atlas, HE, Mogeni, P, Shawon, RA, Tickell, KD, Bunyige, L, Monchari, I et al.. Effect of azithromycin on post-discharge growth in Kenyan children. BMJ Glob Health. 2025;10 (11):. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2025-020294. PubMed PMID:41285436 PubMed Central PMC12645614.
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