For Nancy Brown, Ph.D., education and support are clear tools for helping people make healthy choices. More complicated, however, is the "art and science" of discerning exactly which messages will motivate different populations to do so.

Dr. Brown's research concentrates on preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV, by understanding the factors that place certain individuals at risk. With colleagues, including Department Chair Sandra Wilson, Ph.D., Dr. Brown co-authored a major publication on HIV infection risk among Latino couples in California, which appeared in the September 2003 issue of the journal AIDS and Behavior.

The study showed that, for women from Mexican and Central American backgrounds in California, HIV risk comes principally from their male partners, rather than because they have used drugs or had multiple partners. Research also identified demographic, psychological and relationship characteristics that predisposed both women and men to higher risk. The findings will help public health professionals better target HIV prevention messages toward the Latino population. Such research is incorporated into two classes that Dr. Brown teaches to Stanford University undergraduates. A seminar on "Gender and HIV" discusses the HIV risks faced by women, while a course on adolescent sexuality examines how the media, parents, peers, religion and other issues influence teens' decisions.

In addition, Dr. Brown assists with PAMF's teen-health Web site, "We're Talking." The site (www.pamf.org/teen) provides information on health issues and allows teens to ask anonymous questions answered by PAMF physicians, scientists and behavioral health specialists. In September 2003 alone, nearly 16,000 people visited the site. Parents are frequent users.

"We're Talking" is successful because it offers medically accurate information in a "PG-13" format that is more appropriate for teens than much of what is available on the Internet," Dr. Brown said. In addition, "we constantly strive to set a tone that reflects the whole spectrum of who teens are, providing information on specific diseases, nutrition, emotional issues, sports, school and dealing with peers and parents. There is more to teens and teen health than sex and drugs."

The teen Web site also involves the kind of collaboration within PAMF that for Dr. Brown makes the Research Institute special. "There's a huge pool of talented health professionals here motivated to cross the boundary between clinical care and research," she said. "It creates opportunities to come together in a unified manner to address the needs of particular populations."
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