Drenna Waldrop, PhD

Research Program

Cancer Prevention and Control
Phone Number

404-712-9487
Email Address

drenna.waldrop@emory.edu

Biography

Drenna Waldrop, PhD, is a professor and the associate dean for research at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, with a joint appointment in the Department of Behavioral and Sciences and Health Education Studies at Rollins School of Public Health. Dr. Waldrop is a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. She also serves as co-director of the Emory Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Developmental Core.

Education

Dr. Waldrop received her PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Memphis, her MS in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi, and her BA in Psychology from the University of Alabama. She is a licensed psychologist with neuropsychology and behavioral research.

Titles & Roles

Professor and Associate Dean for Research

Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing of Emory University

Research

Dr. Waldrop's primary research and scholarly interest is in treatment adherence, cognitive and affective symptoms, and health literacy among persons living with HIV/AIDS. She has been principal investigator on multiple NIH grants and over the past 20 years has led and collaborated on numerous studies investigating the overarching symptoms associated with HIV infection, including health literacy and cognition, and their impact on health disparities among persons living with HIV.

Her most recent research studies the effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive function among people living with HIV. She is also investigating virtual and mobile app-based interventions to address chronic disease and medication adherence.

Publications

Dr. Waldrop-Valverde has published broadly in peer reviewed journals and is a reviewer on national and international peer journals. She has been invited to present her findings at numerous national and international conferences.

Title/Journal	Authors	Publication Date
Pilot Feasibility Study of a Video Intervention to Educate Patients with Breast Cancer About Clinical Trials. Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education	KA Yeager, J Bai, K Gogineni, JL Meisel, J Kweon, DW Bruner, D Waldrop-Valverde	04/01/2022
Exercise and Cognitive Training Intervention Improves Self-Care, Quality of Life and Functional Capacity in Persons With Heart Failure. Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society	RA Gary, S Paul, E Corwin, B Butts, AH Miller, K Hepburn, D Waldrop	02/01/2022
Congruence of pain perceptions between Black cancer patients and their family caregivers. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer	KA Yeager, H Lee, J Bai, S Paul, KB Johnson, D Waldrop	01/01/2022
A comprehensive data-driven analysis framework for detecting impairments in brain function networks with resting state fMRI in HIV-infected individuals on cART. Journal of neurovirology	SA Anteraper, K Gopinath, MJ Hoch, D Waldrop-Valverde, D Franklin, SL Letendre, S Whitfield-Gabrieli, AM Anderson	04/01/2021
Is Social Isolation Related to Emotion Dysregulation and Retention in Care Among Older Persons Living with HIV? AIDS and behavior	M Yoo-Jeong, R Haardörfer, M Holstad, K Hepburn, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2021
Predictors of disparities in retention in care among African Americans living with HIV. AIDS care	AN Anderson, R Haardörfer, M McDonnell Holstad, MLT Nguyen, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2021
Adherence trajectories in oral therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia: Overview of a research protocol. Research in nursing & health	KA Yeager, D Waldrop-Valverde, S Paul, DW Bruner, R Klisovic, E Burns, TA Mason, N Patel, BM Jennings	09/01/2020
Neurocognitive Functioning is Associated with Self-Reported and Performance-Based Treatment Management Abilities in People Living with HIV with Low Health Literacy. Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists	PL Fazeli, SP Woods, CC Lambert, D Waldrop-Valverde, DE Vance	07/24/2020
Distinct cellular immune properties in cerebrospinal fluid are associated with cognition in HIV-infected individuals initiating antiretroviral therapy. Journal of neuroimmunology	B Amundson, L Lai, MJ Mulligan, Y Xu, Z Zheng, S Kundu, JL Lennox, D Waldrop-Valverde, D Franklin, A Swaims-Kohlmeier, SL Letendre, AM Anderson	07/15/2020
Correlates of loneliness in older persons living with HIV. AIDS care	M Yoo-Jeong, K Hepburn, M Holstad, R Haardörfer, D Waldrop-Valverde	07/01/2020
An Exploratory Study of Correlates of Allostatic Load in Older People Living With HIV. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999)	PL Fazeli, D Waldrop-Valverde, I Yigit, B Turan, J Edberg, M Kempf, D Vance	04/15/2020
A Path Analysis of Patient and Social-Level Factors on Health Literacy and Retention in Care Among African Americans Living with HIV. AIDS and behavior	AN Anderson, R Haardörfer, MM Holstad, MLT Nguyen, D Waldrop-Valverde	04/01/2020
Disparities in Retention in Care Among Adults Living with HIV/AIDS: A Systematic Review. AIDS and behavior	AN Anderson, CM Higgins, R Haardörfer, MM Holstad, MLT Nguyen, D Waldrop-Valverde	04/01/2020
Psychosocial Resources and Emotions in Women Living With HIV Who Have Cognitive Impairment: Applying the Socio-Emotional Adaptation Theory. Research and theory for nursing practice	SN Halpin, L Ge, CC Mehta, D Gustafson, KR Robertson, LH Rubin, A Sharma, D Vance, V Valcour, D Waldrop-Valverde, I Ofotokun	01/01/2020
HIV-1 Infection, Injecting Drug Use, and Neuroendocrine Response to Psychological Stress. Journal of HIV and AIDS	RL Ownby, D Waldrop-Valverde, AM Kumar, D Jones, B Fernandez, M Kumar	09/01/2019
Picture Pill Count: An Innovative, Reliable, Valid and Feasible Method to Measure Adherence to ART. AIDS and behavior	MM Holstad, M Higgins, M Bauman, EW Farber, D Waldrop-Valverde, O Okwandu, I Ofotokun	08/01/2019
Exercise and Cognitive Training as a Strategy to Improve Neurocognitive Outcomes in Heart Failure: A Pilot Study. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry	RA Gary, S Paul, E Corwin, B Butts, AH Miller, K Hepburn, B Williams, D Waldrop-Valverde	08/01/2019
Linked CSF reduction of phosphorylated tau and IL-8 in HIV associated neurocognitive disorder. Scientific reports	T Ozturk, A Kollhoff, AM Anderson, J Christina Howell, DW Loring, D Waldrop-Valverde, D Franklin, S Letendre, WR Tyor, WT Hu	06/19/2019
A mixed analysis approach to elucidate the multiple chronic condition experience of English- and Spanish-speaking older adults. Clinical interventions in aging	KB Thomas-Purcell, RJ Jacobs, TL Seidman, A Acevedo, D Waldrop-Valverde, RL Ownby	01/01/2019
Enhancing the Impact of Mobile Health Literacy Interventions to Reduce Health Disparities. Quarterly review of distance education	RL Ownby, A Acevedo, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2019
Same-Day Associations Between Substance Use and Medication Nonadherence Among Persons Living with HIV. Substance abuse : research and treatment	SE Ramsey, EG Ames, J Uber, S Habib, S Clark, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2019
Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Engagement With the Health Care Provider in People Living With HIV: A Two-Wave Cross-Lag Model. The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care : JANAC	AN Anderson, A Monda, R Haardörfer, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2019
Racial Disparities in HIV Antiretroviral Medication Management are Mediated by Health Literacy. Health literacy research and practice	D Waldrop-Valverde, RJ Murden, Y Guo, M Holstad, RL Ownby	10/01/2018
Understanding the Association of Internalized HIV Stigma with Retention in HIV Care. Journal of HIV and AIDS	E Valverde, A Rodriguez, B White, Y Guo, D Waldrop-Valverde	10/01/2018
Measurement of Human Immunodeficiency Virus p24 Antigen in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid With Digital Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Association With Decreased Neuropsychological Performance. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America	AM Anderson, WR Tyor, MJ Mulligan, D Waldrop-Valverde, JL Lennox, SL Letendre	06/18/2018
Biomarkers as Common Data Elements for Symptom and Self-Management Science. Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing	GG Page, EJ Corwin, SG Dorsey, NS Redeker, DJ McCloskey, JK Austin, BJ Guthrie, SM Moore, D Barton, MT Kim, SL Docherty, D Waldrop-Valverde, DE Bailey, RF Schiffman, A Starkweather, TM Ward, S Bakken, KT Hickey, CL Renn, P Grady	05/01/2018
Associations of Mood on Objective and Subjective Cognitive Complaints in Persons Living with HIV/AIDS. Journal of HIV and AIDS	M Yoo-Jeong, A Anderson, AF Rahman, M Baumann, J McBroom, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2018
Soluble membrane attack complex in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of HIV-infected individuals, relationship to HIV RNA, and comparison with HIV negatives. Journal of neuroimmunology	AM Anderson, TN Schein, A Kalapila, L Lai, D Waldrop-Valverde, RC Moore, D Franklin, SL Letendre, SR Barnum	10/15/2017
Cognitive trajectories over 4 years among HIV-infected women with optimal viral suppression. Neurology	LH Rubin, PM Maki, G Springer, L Benning, K Anastos, D Gustafson, MC Villacres, X Jiang, AA Adimora, D Waldrop-Valverde, DE Vance, H Bolivar, C Alden, EM Martin, VG Valcour	10/10/2017
Feasibility of Combining Common Data Elements Across Studies to Test a Hypothesis. Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing	EJ Corwin, SM Moore, A Plotsky, MM Heitkemper, SG Dorsey, D Waldrop-Valverde, DE Bailey, SL Docherty, JD Whitney, CM Musil, CM Dougherty, DJ McCloskey, JK Austin, PA Grady	05/01/2017
A Mobile App for Chronic Disease Self-Management: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR research protocols	RL Ownby, A Acevedo, D Waldrop-Valverde, J Caballero, M Simonson, R Davenport, K Kondwani, RJ Jacobs	04/05/2017
Erratum to: Aging and Neurocognitive Functioning in HIV-Infected Women: a Review of the Literature Involving the Women's Interagency HIV Study. Current HIV/AIDS reports	DE Vance, LH Rubin, V Valcour, D Waldrop-Valverde, PM Maki	02/01/2017
Evaluation of practice effect on neuropsychological measures among persons with and without HIV infection in northern India. Journal of neurovirology	RL Ownby, D Waldrop-Valverde, DL Jones, S Sharma, R Nehra, AM Kumar, S Prabhakar, A Acevedo, M Kumar	02/01/2017
The DREAMS Team: Creating community partnerships through research advocacy training for diverse older adults. Educational gerontology	AR Hart, R Dillard, MM Perkins, CP Vaughan, K Kinlaw, JL McKay, D Waldrop-Valverde, K Hagen, RC Wincek, ME Hackney	01/01/2017
A qualitative study examining health literacy and chronic illness self-management in Hispanic and non-Hispanic older adults. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare	RJ Jacobs, RL Ownby, A Acevedo, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2017
Aging and Neurocognitive Functioning in HIV-Infected Women: a Review of the Literature Involving the Women's Interagency HIV Study. Current HIV/AIDS reports	DE Vance, LH Rubin, V Valcour, D Waldrop-Valverde, PM Maki	12/01/2016
Preliminary study of a novel cognitive assessment device for the evaluation of HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment. Journal of neurovirology	AM Anderson, JL Lennox, ML Nguyen, D Waldrop-Valverde, WR Tyor, DW Loring	12/01/2016
Recommendations of Common Data Elements to Advance the Science of Self-Management of Chronic Conditions. Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing	SM Moore, R Schiffman, D Waldrop-Valverde, NS Redeker, DJ McCloskey, MT Kim, MM Heitkemper, BJ Guthrie, SG Dorsey, SL Docherty, D Barton, DE Bailey, JK Austin, P Grady	09/01/2016
A Structural Equation Model of HIV-related Symptoms, Depressive Symptoms, and Medication Adherence. Journal of HIV and AIDS	M Yoo-Jeong, D Waldrop-Valverde, K McCoy, RL Ownby	05/01/2016
Correlates of Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence among HIV-Infected Older Adults. Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care	K McCoy, D Waldrop-Valverde, BH Balderson, C Mahoney, S Catz	05/01/2016
The Role of Depression in Retention in Care for Persons Living with HIV. AIDS patient care and STDs	JA Zuniga, M Yoo-Jeong, T Dai, Y Guo, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2016
Examining Adherence Among Challenging Patients in Public and Private HIV Care in Argentina. AIDS and behavior	D Jones, R Cook, D Cecchini, O Sued, L Bofill, S Weiss, D Waldrop-Valverde, MR Lopez, A Spence	09/01/2015
Advancing Symptom Science Through Use of Common Data Elements. Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing	NS Redeker, R Anderson, S Bakken, E Corwin, S Docherty, SG Dorsey, M Heitkemper, DJ McCloskey, S Moore, C Pullen, B Rapkin, R Schiffman, D Waldrop-Valverde, P Grady	09/01/2015
Neuropsychological test performance among healthy persons in northern India: development of normative data. Journal of neurovirology	D Waldrop-Valverde, RL Ownby, DL Jones, S Sharma, R Nehra, AM Kumar, S Prabhakar, M Kumar	08/01/2015
Changes in neurocognition and adherence over six months in HIV-infected individuals with cocaine or heroin dependence. AIDS care	AM Anderson, MK Higgins, RL Ownby, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2015
Health literacy predicts participant understanding of orally-presented informed consent information. Clinical research and trials	RL Ownby, A Acevedo, K Goodman, J Caballero, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2015
Motivational Interviewing among HIV Health Care Providers: Challenges and Opportunities to Enhance Engagement and Retention in Care in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care	L Bofill, SM Weiss, M Lucas, A Bordato, A Dorigo, G Fernandez-Cabanillas, I Aristegui, M Lopez, D Waldrop-Valverde, D Jones	01/01/2015
Quality of life, health status, and health service utilization related to a new measure of health literacy: FLIGHT/VIDAS. Patient education and counseling	RL Ownby, A Acevedo, RJ Jacobs, J Caballero, D Waldrop-Valverde	09/01/2014
Negative and positive beliefs related to mood and health. American journal of health behavior	RL Ownby, A Acevedo, RJ Jacobs, J Caballero, D Waldrop-Valverde	07/01/2014
Abilities, skills and knowledge in measures of health literacy. Patient education and counseling	RL Ownby, A Acevedo, D Waldrop-Valverde, RJ Jacobs, J Caballero	05/01/2014
Is the cloze procedure appropriate to evaluate health literacy in older individuals? Age effects in the test of functional health literacy in adults. Journal of aging research	RL Ownby, A Acevedo, D Waldrop-Valverde, RJ Jacobs	01/01/2014
Health literacy: impact on the health of HIV-infected individuals. Current HIV/AIDS reports	AJ Wawrzyniak, RL Ownby, K McCoy, D Waldrop-Valverde	12/01/2013
Cost effectiveness of a computer-delivered intervention to improve HIV medication adherence. BMC medical informatics and decision making	RL Ownby, D Waldrop-Valverde, RJ Jacobs, A Acevedo, J Caballero	02/28/2013
Development and validation of a brief computer-administered HIV-Related Health Literacy Scale (HIV-HL). AIDS and behavior	RL Ownby, D Waldrop-Valverde, P Hardigan, J Caballero, R Jacobs, A Acevedo	02/01/2013
Personal HIV knowledge, appointment adherence and HIV outcomes. AIDS and behavior	D Jones, R Cook, A Rodriguez, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2013
Differential item functioning related to age in the reading subtest of the test of functional health literacy in adults. Journal of aging research	RL Ownby, D Waldrop-Valverde	01/01/2013
Enhancing HIV medication adherence in India. Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care	D Jones, A Sharma, M Kumar, D Waldrop-Valverde, R Nehra, S Vamos, R Cook, SM Weiss	01/01/2013
Development and initial validation of a computer-administered health literacy assessment in Spanish and English: FLIGHT/VIDAS. Patient related outcome measures	RL Ownby, A Acevedo, D Waldrop-Valverde, RJ Jacobs, J Caballero, R Davenport, AM Homs, SJ Czaja, D Loewenstein	01/01/2013
Sexual concurrency among young African American women. Psychology, health & medicine	DG Waldrop-Valverde, TL Davis, JM Sales, ES Rose, GM Wingood, RJ DiClemente	01/01/2013
Medication-taking self-efficacy and medication adherence among HIV-infected cocaine users. The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care : JANAC	D Waldrop-Valverde, C Dong, RL Ownby	01/01/2013
Baseline medication adherence and response to an electronically delivered health literacy intervention targeting adherence. Neurobehavioral HIV medicine	RL Ownby, D Waldrop-Valverde, J Caballero, RJ Jacobs	10/18/2012
Demographic and psychosocial factors associated with appointment attendance among HIV-positive outpatients. AIDS care	L Bofill, D Waldrop-Valverde, L Metsch, M Pereyra, MA Kolber	10/01/2011
Sexual barrier acceptability among multiethnic HIV-positive and at-risk women. Journal of women's health (2002)	O Villar-Loubet, D Jones, D Waldrop-Valverde, L Bruscantini, S Weiss	03/01/2011
Human immunodeficiency virus infection in the CNS and decreased dopamine availability: relationship with neuropsychological performance. Journal of neurovirology	AM Kumar, RL Ownby, D Waldrop-Valverde, B Fernandez, M Kumar	02/01/2011
Numeracy skills explain racial differences in HIV medication management. AIDS and behavior	D Waldrop-Valverde, CY Osborn, A Rodriguez, RL Rothman, M Kumar, DL Jones	08/01/2010
Neurocognition, health-related reading literacy, and numeracy in medication management for HIV infection. AIDS patient care and STDs	D Waldrop-Valverde, DL Jones, F Gould, M Kumar, RL Ownby	08/01/2010
Education effects on the International HIV Dementia Scale. Journal of neurovirology	D Waldrop-Valverde, R Nehra, S Sharma, A Malik, D Jones, AM Kumar, RL Ownby, A Wanchu, S Weiss, S Prabhakar, M Kumar	07/01/2010
Mental health in HIV seronegative and seropositive IDUs in South Florida. AIDS care	DL Jones, D Waldrop-Valverde, P Gonzalez, A Mack, AM Kumar, R Ownby, SM Weiss, M Kumar	02/01/2010
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels in HIV-1 seropositive injecting drug users. Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology	RL Ownby, AM Kumar, J Benny Fernandez, I Moleon-Borodowsky, L Gonzalez, S Eisdorfer, D Waldrop-Valverde, M Kumar	09/01/2009
Sexual risk reduction among Zambian couples. SAHARA J : journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance	DJ Jones, N Chitalu, P Ndubani, M Mumbi, SM Weiss, O Villar-Loubet, S Vamos, D Waldrop-Valverde	09/01/2009
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in the central nervous system leads to decreased dopamine in different regions of postmortem human brains. Journal of neurovirology	AM Kumar, JB Fernandez, EJ Singer, D Commins, D Waldrop-Valverde, RL Ownby, M Kumar	05/01/2009
Gender differences in medication management capacity in HIV infection: the role of health literacy and numeracy. AIDS and behavior	D Waldrop-Valverde, DL Jones, D Jayaweera, P Gonzalez, J Romero, RL Ownby	02/01/2009
Analysis of the effects of injecting drug use and HIV-1 infection on 18F-FDG PET brain metabolism. Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine	MF Georgiou, A Gonenc, D Waldrop-Valverde, RA Kuker, SH Ezuddin, GN Sfakianakis, M Kumar	12/01/2008
The effects of low literacy and cognitive impairment on medication adherence in HIV-positive injecting drug users. AIDS care	D Waldrop-Valverde, DL Jones, S Weiss, M Kumar, L Metsch	11/01/2008