José Arturo Bauermeister has been named the 10th Presidential Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, effective July 1. The announcement was made by Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price.

An expert in the prevention and care of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases among sexual minority populations, Bauermeister will be Presidential Associate Professor of Nursing.

“To save lives through better treatment and prevention of HIV and similarly challenging diseases, we must first meet people where they live,” Gutmann said. “José exemplifies this approach by grounding his prolific scholarly work in the specific needs of individuals and diverse populations. As a Presidential Associate Professor in Penn Nursing, José will join his expertise and energetic leadership with that of our superb faculty to further strengthen the educational experience of our students and to benefit our community and the world.”

Bauermeister is currently associate professor of health behavior and health education and founding director of the Center for Sexuality & Health Disparities in the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan, where he has taught since 2009. His research focuses on advancing innovative, multilevel HIV/STI prevention and care strategies, especially for high-risk adolescents and young adult men. These approaches target diverse social settings, use new technologies and develop interdisciplinary methodologies to promote sexual health. A member of the International Academy of Sex Research and several major editorial boards, Bauermeister has authored more than a hundred peer-reviewed articles and his work has been funded by, among others, the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Ford Foundation. 

“José Bauermeister is not only a deeply innovative and influential researcher,” Price said. “He is also renowned as a caring and committed teacher, mentor and colleague. We look forward to the great impact that he is sure to have on the Penn community in the years ahead.”

Bauermeister earned a Ph.D. in 2006 and an M.P.H. in 2004 in health behavior and health education from the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan and a B.A. magna cum laude in psychology in 2002 from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. In 2007-08, he was the NIH Postdoctoral Fellow of the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at the Columbia University Medical Center.

“José Bauermeister is an accomplished researcher, teacher and community advocate,” said Antonia Villarruel, the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of the School of Nursing. “I have witnessed his dedication to ensuring that the most vulnerable groups have access to prevention and treatment to reduce HIV infection, improve care and decrease stigma, as well as his inclusive partnerships with students and communities. We are so fortunate José will be coming to Penn and Penn Nursing, where he will join a community of scholars who share his interests and commitment.”

Presidential Professorships, originating in the Action Plan for Faculty Diversity and Excellence first issued in 2011, are awarded to exceptional scholars, at any rank, who contribute to faculty eminence through diversity across the University.