Stephen Bonett, PhD, MA, RN
Bonett’s research addresses systems level factors in public health service delivery through community-partnered research that employs implementation science methods within a health equity framework. His background as a public health nurse drives a research agenda that is collaborative and connected to community priorities. Through his work, he aims to improve the environment of care, reduce structural impediments to accessing HIV prevention, and promote health equity.
“Highly effective HIV prevention and treatment modalities exist, but access to these tools is not universal. In other words, our healthcare systems play a hand in creating and maintaining health disparities. Nurses will play a key role in building systems, institutions, and cultures of health that provide for the needs of all people and creating conditions where achieving health equity is possible.”
Education
- PhD/MA, University of Pennsylvania, 2021
- BSN, University of Pennsylvania, 2017
- BS/BA, University of Iowa, 2012
Social Justice
When studying HIV and the significant disparities that exist across race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, it is critical to acknowledge that individual-level factors do not drive these disparities. Rather, these disparities can be traced to fundamental causes: racism, classism, and other systems of oppression which operate to systematically disadvantage certain groups of people to the benefit of others. Dr. Bonett’s research aims to highlight the root causes of disparities and partner with those in our community to build power and advocate for health and justice.
Teaching
Bonett currently teaches N230 Statistics for Research and Measurement and leads a seminar section for N103 Psychological and Social Diversity in Health and Wellness.
Research
Bonett’s research program is centered on identifying multilevel barriers to sexual health services and leveraging the power of institutions, community groups, and social networks to promote community health and reduce social and structural barriers to accessing HIV treatment and prevention.He partners with the health department and community based HIV service organizations to evaluate innovative models for providing sexual health services. Together, their work aims to address structural barriers to care and support system-level adaptations which center the needs of our communities.
Opportunities to Learn and Collaborate at Penn Nursing
Bonett is a member of the study team for the Philadelphia Community Engagement Alliance (Philly CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. Philly CEAL is an NIH-funded coalition aiming to evaluate, support and bolster local efforts to decrease COVID-19 disparities in testing, vaccination, and treatment. As part of the Community Outreach Core, he facilitates efforts to establish a city-wide network of organizations working to address COVID disparities. He also work with researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to study factors impacting young people’s access to sexual health services in Philadelphia.
Selected Career Highlights
- 2022 CROI New Investigator Scholarship
- 2021 Associate Fellow, Leonard David Institute for Health Economics
- 2019 APHA David Rosenstein Award for Best Student Abstract
- 2018-2019, Leadership and Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) Fellow
- 2016-2018, Hillman Scholars in Nursing Innovation Fellow
Related News
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Hillman Scholars Volunteer to Work at COVID-19 Testing Site
Stephen Bonett (PENN ’20) and Clare Whitney (PENN ’20) joined dozens of members from the Philadelphia Medical Reserve Corps and helped to staff the South Philadelphia COVID-19 drive through testing site. The Corp is an all-volunteer group of medical and nonmedical professionals who act as backup for the city health department during health crises and large-scale events.
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Welcome to the New Academic Year, 2022-2023 from Dean Antonia M. Villarruel
Welcome to the fall semester! This time of year always feels like a new beginning—a fresh start after the summer, perhaps the start of new projects. Even though the work is ongoing, there’s a sensation that something is different. Certainly, as the pandemic continues, we have learned to live with ever-changing guidelines and protocols (more on that in a second)—but to borrow a quote from the singer Lizzo, “I got a feelin’ we’re gon’ be alright”!
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Penn Nursing Appoints Inaugural Executive Director of the Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program
Kimberly Strauch, PhD, MSN, ANP-BC, has been appointed the inaugural Executive Director of Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program (LLCCNPP) at Penn Nursing. This program was announced in February 2022 as a first-of-its-kind, tuition-free program dedicated to building a nurse practitioner workforce committed to working in and with underserved communities, both rural and urban. LLCCNPP was borne of a $125 million gift—the largest ever to an American nursing school—by Penn alumnus Leonard A. Lauder, Chairman Emeritus of The Estee Lauder Companies.