Scott Batey, PhD, MSW

Dr. D. Scott Batey is a Professor in the School of Social Work at Tulane University. Prior to his transition to Tulane, Dr. Batey served as faculty of the Department of Social Work, College of Arts and Sciences, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where he directed the Honors Program. He maintains an affiliation as Scientist with the UAB Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), where he led the Center’s community engagement efforts as the Engagement and Continuum of Care Specialist for five years. In general, Dr. Batey’s research focuses on eliminating health disparities, especially those prominent along the HIV Care Continuum. Within this framework, he conducts mixed-methods research to improve HIV health outcomes among people living with or at risk for acquiring HIV. Informed by 26 years’ experience as a licensed social work clinician, his implementation research especially leverages the inherent skills of social workers to uniquely deliver evidence-based interventions; it is routinely community-placed and community-driven. His major scientific contributions center on implementation of promising interventions and delivery strategies that effectively and efficiently address gaps in the HIV Care Continuum, utilize evidence-based social work practice, reduce health-related stigmas, and optimize the primary medical clinic-community interface.

Dr. Batey is currently the Multiple Principal Investigator on three National Institutes of Health R01 studies through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In this research portfolio, Dr. Batey and his colleagues at the University of Alabama at Birmingham collaborate with health departments in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi to use big (HIV surveillance) data to understand temporal and geographic differences in time from HIV diagnosis to viral suppression (R01AI142690, MPI, A.I. Rana & D.S. Batey). In partnership with colleagues at Columbia University, Dr. Batey is testing the efficacy of a combination community health worker and mobile health (mHealth) app to improve antiretroviral adherence and viral suppression among persons with HIV in New York City and Birmingham, AL (R01NR019758, MPI: R. Schnall & D.S. Batey). Through his collaboration with colleagues at the University of Chicago, Dr. Batey and his team are conducting a Hybrid Type I effectiveness-implementation trial of the evidence-based HIV retention in care intervention, Project nGage, in Chicago and Birmingham (R01MH125744, MPI: A. Bouris & D.S. Batey).

Dr. Batey serves as the Co-Director of the Birmingham AIDS Outreach Magic City Research Institute (HIV research | Magic City Research Institute | United States). He is an author on 60 peer-reviewed publications and over 150 oral and poster abstracts that have been presented regionally, nationally, and internationally. Dr. Batey has been a mentor for countless students, community stakeholders, and junior faculty members of various disciplines.