Heather Tillewein

Dr. Tillewein is on the Executive Committee, Policy Committee, and serves as Communication's Chair for the LGBTQ Health Caucus for the American Public Health Association. She also serves as Director for Special Editions and Associate Editor for the HPHR Journal (formerly known as the Harvard Public Health Review). Dr. Tillewein is active as Director of Membership for the Boston Congress of Public Health. Also, she has held a Harvard Fellowship with the H.T. Chan School of Public Health where she wrote blogs for the Harvard Public Health Review. She is involved with several projects with the SIU School of Medicine under the RuralHarmony Project. Dr. Tillewein also actively researches with the Kinsey Institute on several projects. Recently, Dr. Tillewein is also project leader for the NIH/NIDA grant, Ending Transmission of HIV, HCV, and STDs and Overdose in Rural Communities of People who Inject Drugs (ETHIC)

sexuality sexual health gender minority LGBTQIA+ health reproductive health

substance use harm reduction rural health women's health

• Tillewein, H., Thompson, T., Miller, K. W., Pho, M. T., Phillips, G., II, & Jenkins, W. D. (2026). Experiences of Rural Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals Who Use Substances: Risk Factors of Substance Use and Barriers to Harm Reduction Services. Substance Use & Misuse, 1- 13.

• *Stevens, E., *Piazza, M., *Bannis, N., & Tillewein, H. (2026) “People with disabilities want to have sex too”: The Impact of Assumptions and Misconceptions Regarding Disabled Sexuality. Sexuality and Disability, 44(22), 1-14.

• Tillewein, H., Phillips II, G., Mohon-Doyle, K., & Daily, M. (2026). Investigating the dynamics of HIV and STI disclosure in Chemsex/Party and Play communities. AIDS Care, 1–13.

• Tillewein, H., Wilson, M., & *Holmes, L. (2025). Determine the Relationship between HIV, STI’s, Demographics, and Online Dating Services Using County Data. Journal of Public Health, online.

• *Sullivan, K., *Nash, J., *Dierkes, M., *Raisor, C., Tillewein, H., Haun, J., & McDaniel, J. (2025). The broken hearts club: Rurally located female veterans have higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, 1–13.

• Tillewein, H.,*Buhyan, L. & Hille, J. (2024). Social support and Covid-19. Current Psychology. 43 (41).

• Middleton, W., Becker, J., Peach, A.,Tillewein, H.,& Bresett, J. (2024). Qualitative refinement of a Tick-borne disease survey. Journal of Environmental Health. 87(4), 24-29.

• Tillewein, H.,Luckey, G., Elgee, M., & Jenkins, W. (2024). Social Influence on Drug Use and Sexual Behaviors Among LGBGTQIA+ Individuals. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 1–12.

• Tillewein, H., Mahon-Doyle, K., & *Cox, D. (2024). A critical discourse analysis of sexual violence survivors and censorship on the social media platform TikTok. Archives of Sexual Behavior, online.

• Tillewein, H. (2024). Perspectives on Telehealth and the Transgender Community. Journal of Human Rights and Social Work. Online.

• Tillewein, H. (2024). A Provider Approach in Radiology Patients Who are Survivors of Sexual Violence. Journal of Radiology Nursing, Online, 1-3.

• Tillewein, H., *Shokeen, N., *Powers, P., *Sandles- Palemer, S., *Rijo Sanchez, A., & Desjarlais, K. (2024) LGBTQ students and the epidemiology of violence and education. Sexuality, Gender, & Policy, 0(0).

• Brashear, B., Tilllewein, H., & Harvey, P. (2024). The relationship between gender identity and gender centrality among transgender, cisgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals. Journal of Homosexuality, 1-21.

• Hille, J, *Buhyan, L., & Tillewein, H. (2024). Ace and Poly: The Motivations and Experiences of People on the Ace Spectrum in Polyamorous Relationships. Sexes, 5, 111-119.

• Tillewein, H., Luckey, G., Miller, K., Jenkins, W. (2024). Sexual Violence and Revictimization in Rural LGBTQ+ Communities. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 0(0).

• Jenkins, W., Miller, K., Tillewein, H., Walters, S., Weatherly, T., Wickham, H., Luckey, G., & Fenner, E. (2024). Healthcare experiences and health outcomes among rural LGBTQ+ individuals. American Journal of Health Promotion, 0(0), 1-6.

• Richardson, P.*, Tillewein, H., Antonangelo, J., & Frederick, D. (2024). The impact of environmental health from cemetery waste in Middle Tennessee. International Journal of Environmental Health Research and Public Health, 21(3):267.

• Lee, M., Tsai, M., Tillewein, H., & Luckey, G.S. (2024). Rural disparities in telemedicine use among U.S. adults with cancer. Telemedicine and e-Health.

• Tillewein. H. & Cox, D.* (2024). Investigating the Implications of Sexual Assaults with Ride-Sharing: A Call for Research. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

• Tillewein, Heather; Chen, Norah*; Choi, Hana*; Kraemer, Margaux*; and Siddiqui, Laeek A.*, "Neurological Disability Perspectives on Sexuality through Social Media Platforms" (2023). Summer Sexuality Fellowship. 1.

• Tillewein, Heather; Franklyn, Grace*; Frederick, Valerie*; Ghasseminia, Raheleh*; Michels, Cameron*; and Stevens, Emily*, "Investigating the Intersection of Physical Disability and Sexuality" (2023). Summer Sexuality Fellowship. 1.

• Tillewein, H., Becker, J., & Kruse-Diehr, A., (2023). Institutional barriers to healthcare services among transgender individuals in the rural Midwest. Journal of Homosexuality. Online.

• Tillewein, H. (2023). Book Review. Chen, A.: ACE: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex. Sexuality and Culture. Online.

• McDaniel, J.T., Tillewein, H., Wallace, J.P., Albright, D.L., & Henson, H. (2023). The need for rural-urban county type in CDC’s social vulnerability index concerning human immunodeficiency reporting data. Traumatology.  Advance online publication.

• Tillewein, H. & Kruse-Diehr, A. (2023). The Impact of Conversion Therapy on Transgender Individuals. Psychology & Sexuality, 1-13.

• Tillewein, H. (2023). Book Review: Savin-Williams, R.C., Bi: Bisexual, Pansexual, Fluid, and Nonbinary Youth. Sexuality & Culture. Online.

• Tillewein, H., *Shokeen, N., *Powers, P., *Rijo Sanchez, A., *Sandles- Palemer, S., & Desjarlais, K. (2023) Silencing the Rainbow: Prevalence of LGBTQ+ Students Who Do Not Report Sexual Violence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), online.

• Tillewein, H., Brashear, B., & Harvey, P. (2022). The link between centrality, gender identity, and sexual pleasure. Sexologies, e4-e6.

• Tillewein H, Toufik A, Awuah W, Zuñiga Y, Shellah D, Colescu A, Carpenter C, Le Compte C (2022). Legislating the new Gilead: implications of the Texas Heartbeat Act. HPHR, 56(1), online. 10.54111/0001/DDD2

• Tillewein, H. (2022, April 6). [Review of the book Camming: Money, power, and pleasure in the sex work industry, by A. Jones]. World Medical & Health Policy.

• Aborode, A.T., Awuah, W. A., Mehta, A., Abdul-Rahman, T., Nansubuga, E. P., Kundu, M., Pustake, M., Mehmood, Q., & Tillewein, H. (2022, April 5). Concern over Nipah Virus Cases Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic in India. Journal of Medical Virology, Letter to the Editor.

• Tillewein, H & Ma, N. (2022, February). Implications on Female Same Sex Couples and HIV. HPHR, 2022; 66.

• Aborode, A., Awuah, W., Talukder, S., Oyeyemi, A., Nansubuga, E., Machai, P., & Tillewein, H. (2021, September 9). Fake Covid-19 vaccinations in Africa. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 0, 1-2.

• Tillewein, H. & Kruse-Diehr, A. (2021). A multiple case study on drag culture and substance use. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Service, 33(2), 211-224.

• Tillewein, H. & Kruse-Diehr, A. (2019). A multiple case study of student sex workers. Health Education Monograph Series. Eta Sigma Gamma. 36 (1), 36-40.

• Abrams, T. E., Ratnapradipa, D., Tillewein, H., & Lloyd, A. A. (2018, July 10). Resiliency in burn recovery: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Social Work in Health Care, 57(9), 774-793.

Clarksville Q; 04/17/2026; $3,120
Title: APSU Period Equity Project
Role: Principal Investigator
Goal: To reduce period poverty in Clarksville, TN. This project places period product panties with in the community that helps reduce period poverty. Established first Period Equity Pantry to provide free menstruation products to the community.

Title: National Healthcare Safety Network Data Validation (RFA-34349-04023; $375,000)
Role: Principal Investigator; with the TN Department of Health HAI/ AR program.
Goal: To collect data from local medical facilities to measure data validity from the facilities. There will be three undergraduate public health students and three graduate public health students on the project. These students will be trained on data validation by the CDC and collect data from local medical facilities. Then the students will validate the data collected.

NIH/NIDA (8/1/21-7/31/23; UH3DA044829-S105; $169,755; mPI Mai Pho and Wiley D. Jenkins)
Title: [supplement to] Ending Transmission of HIV, HCV, and STDs and Overdose in Rural Communities of People who Inject Drugs (ETHIC)
Role: Project Leader – Transgender Engagement and Recruitment
Goal: The goal of this supplement is to engage with community partners to explore and pilot methods of harm reduction engagement specific to minority race and LGBTQ+ individuals. Such individuals may experience increased risk of HIV/other infectious disease and require different means of harm reduction provision and engagement. I am responsible for leading development of the method(s) to engage transgender individuals in harm reduction.

Title: The Environmental Health Impact of Cemetery Waste ($1,975; Student Research Grant)
Role: Faculty Supervisor; I am currently collaborating with a Bachelor of Public Health student and the Assistant Professor in Soil Chemistry.
Goal: This project seeks to gather information about the levels of formaldehyde and arsenic in the soil at burial sites based on different eras and near bodies of water. The study will gather three soil samples from different plots and analyze the prevalence of formaldehyde and arsenic. Research about the concentrations of formaldehyde and arsenic in the soil of burial sites can better help Public Health officials understand and prevent potential hazard caused by consumption of this chemical.

• 2026 Young Alumni Achievement Award from SIU Alumni Association. Awarded September 11, 2026.

• Everyday Excellence Award from the Office of Institutional Culture and Belonging, Austin Peay State University. Awarded March 28, 2026.

• 2025 Outstanding Theoretical Paper, “Sexual Violence and Revictimization in Rural LGBTQ+ Communities”.  The Society of the Scientific Study Sexuality. Awarded November 16, 2025.

• 2024 Ayman El-Mohandes Young Professional Public Health Innovation Award from the American Public Health Association. Awarded August 28, 2024.

• 40 under 40 Public Health Catalyst Award Winner (June 2024). Boston Congress of Public Health.

• Health Innovator to Watch 2024 (May 2024).  Boston Congress of Public Health.

• Outstanding Research (2022, December 10) Prevalence of LGBTQ+ Students Who Do Not Report Sexual Violence. Oral presentation. Boston Congress of Public Health Research Summit for Clinical and Public Health. Virtual.

• Next Public Health Generation Award, Third Place (2022). For the article, “Implications on Female Same Sex Couples and HIV”.  Presented HPHR Hackathon Writing Competition and published in a special edition for HPHR.

• Best Vlog/ Podcast Award:” Interview with a Conversion Therapy Survivor, Clare Killman” in the blog Life in the Margins by Dr. Heather Tillewein (2021). For the HPHR Fellowship. https://hphr.org/blog-tillewein-conversion-therapy/

• The Dr. Carpenter’s Fellows Award: For Creativity and Provocation (2021). For the HPHR Fellowship.