Speaker Biography

Barbara Van Der Pol, PhD, MPH is a Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Director of the UAB STD Diagnostics Laboratory. Her research focuses on understanding the biological and behavioral factors that affect susceptibility to, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and she is active on projects designed to improve access to sexual health for underserved and minority populations.

Dr. Van Der Pol completed her Doctor of Philosophy at Indiana University-Bloomington, and received her master’s degree in public health in biological and biomedical sciences from Indiana State University.

Dr. Van Der Pol currently serves as the President of the International Society for STD Research.