Dr. Kathleen Jordan to present at UMass Dartmouth about HIV Risk and Protective Factors for Portuguese Men

The Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese American Archives at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth announces a presentation by Dr. Kathleen Jordan titled “HIV Risk and Protective Factors for Portuguese MSM in Massachusetts: Sexual and Cultural Scripts.”

The talk, which is free and open to the public, will take place February 26 at 5:30 PM in the Prince Henry Society Reading Room of the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives, located on the mezzanine floor of the Claire T. Carney Library. Light refreshments will be served. More than 1.2 million people in the US are living with HIV. As of 2011, AIDS had claimed the lives of more than 650,000 individuals in the US and 30 million globally. Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for 78% of all new infections.

Much research has been conducted on the risk and protective factors for HIV of MSM, specifically subgroups of MSM. These factors can range from strong family and peer support, to drug use and dual identity development. No research has been identified to date that examines these factors within the Portuguese American MSM community. This study sought to identify those factors with a group of Portuguese MSM in Southeastern Massachusetts. This was a qualitative, phenomenological study, which delved into the lived experiences of Portuguese MSM. This presentation is based on the identification of the resulting 12 risk and protective factors that emerged within the context of Sexual Script Theory.

Dr. Kathleen Jordan is Senior Vice President and Chief Program Officer of Seven Hills Foundation, one of the largest and most comprehensive health and human service agencies in the Northeast, and an adjunct professor teaching Introduction to Health Care, Global Health, and Nonprofit Management at Clark University. She received her Doctor of Health Administration from Central Michigan University, where she wrote a dissertation titled “The Risk and Protective Factors for HIV of Portuguese Men in Southeastern Massachusetts Who Have Sex with Men (MSM): A Phenomenological Study.” She serves on the boards of many civic and professional organizations related to health and human services.

The entrance to the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives is located on the campus side of the Claire T. Carney Library. For access during library construction as you approach from Lot 13, enter the library basement and proceed to the first floor, exit the building, and proceed to the right to the Archives entrance.

For further information, contact 508.999.8684 or email spacheco@umassd.edu.

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