About

Mark Lurie is a Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University with a background rooted in public health, infectious diseases, and epidemiology. He earned his BA in Political Science and Film Studies from Boston University in 1986, a Masters Degree in African History from the University of Florida in 1991, and his PhD in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health in 2001. Following his post-doctoral work at Miriam Hospital's Division of Infectious Diseases, he joined the Brown faculty in 2003. He was promoted to Associate Professor of Epidemiology with tenure in 2015 and has been directing the International Health Institute since 2021. His research primarily focuses on infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, epidemiology in Africa and Sub-Saharan regions, mathematical modeling, pandemic prevention, and treatment strategies. His work involves collaboration with institutions such as the University of Cape Town and addresses critical issues related to HIV, tuberculosis, and health systems in South Africa and beyond.

Research topics

• Demography
• Medicine
• Socioeconomics
• Environmental health
• Biology
• Virology
• Economic growth
• Internal medicine
• Nursing

Selected publications

• Role of Casual Contact in Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Transmission: A Molecular Epidemiology Study

  American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine · 2026-04-24

  articleOpen access

  RATIONALE: Transmission is the primary driver of tuberculosis (TB) and drug-resistant (DR) TB in high-burden countries; however, where and between whom spread occurs is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We conducted universal whole genome sequencing (WGS) to evaluate the role of casual contact in Mtb transmission. METHODS: We recruited persons diagnosed with second-line DR-TB (eg, XDR, pre-XDR TB) from June 2018-December 2022 in metropolitan Durban, South Africa. We collected named contacts and GPS coordinates of homes, clinics, and community locations visited regularly before diagnosis. Among participants genotypically clustered by WGS (≤12 SNPs), we quantified the proportion attributable to close vs. casual contact. Close contact was defined as person-to-person links or overlapping hospitalizations. Casual contact links were based on geographic proximity of homes and community locations, or shared outpatient clinics. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We enrolled 305 (80%) of 383 persons diagnosed with second-line DR-TB. TB isolates were sequenced for 251 (83%) participants; 141 (56%) were genotypically linked, forming 25 clusters (range: 2-49 persons/cluster). Among clustered participants, 69 (49%) were epidemiologically linked by casual contact and 13 (9%) through close contact. Multivariable analysis identified living within 1 km (OR 17.9), visiting proximate community locations (OR 1.88), shared outpatient clinic (OR 1.72), and person-to-person links (OR 5.38) as significant risk factors associated with genotypic clustering. CONCLUSIONS: Casual contact in community locations accounted for half of transmission among genotypic clusters in a high-burden setting. Efforts to curb TB will require a greater emphasis on community-based measures to identify cases from casual contact or undetected intermediate cases, in addition to the current mainstay of contact tracing.

  PublisherDOI

• Measuring Mobility and Social Mixing to Inform Pandemic Prediction and Response

  Sustainable development goals series · 2026-01-01

  book-chapterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Managing the move: HIV and coping for men moving to Johannesburg

  AIDS Care · 2025-11-19

  article

  = 0.022) scores were higher among men with citizenship/permanent versus those without. Targeted coping support for men without permanent residency status may improve engagement in HIV care. Although our findings are not generalizable to all migrant population, further research may help to understand how religious beliefs impact coping and clinical outcomes among South African men living with HIV to inform interventions.

  PublisherDOI

• HIV Care for Men on the Move: A Qualitative Study to Inform Status-Neutral HIV Service Delivery for Mobile Men in Johannesburg, South Africa

  AIDS and Behavior · 2025-03-03

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Self-reported HIV testing and treatment among migrants from northeast South Africa: A cross-sectional, population-based analysis

  Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine · 2025-04-26 · 1 citations

  letterOpen accessSenior author

  The Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine is focused on HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and related topics relevant to clinical and public health practice. The purpose of the journal is to disseminate original research results and support high-level learning related to HIV Medicine. It publishes original research articles, editorials, case reports/case series, reviews of state-of-the-art clinical practice and correspondence.

  PublisherDOI

• “You could hear their breathing slow down”: insights on a video-based psychosocial support intervention to increase HIV treatment uptake and improve psychosocial well-being among men living with HIV in South Africa

  AIDS Care · 2025-12-21

  articleOpen access

  High rates of AIDS-related mortality and HIV incidence persist due to delayed antiretroviral therapy (ART) uptake and retention. We qualitatively assessed the feasibility and acceptability of "From Now On" (FNO) - a short video-based psychosocial support intervention to increase ART uptake and improve psychosocial well-being among men newly diagnosed with HIV in South Africa. In-depth interviews were conducted with men who were shown FNO during post-test HIV counselling (n = 12) and with counsellors (n = 9) who used FNO. Participants reported that FNO alleviated the immediate shock following their diagnosis; reduced fear (of death, ART side-effects, stigma and rejection) and instilled hope. Counsellors observed men calming down and positive impacts of FNO on counselling: increased attention, engagement and credibility. FNO appeared to reframe the mental model of living with HIV: "life goes on"; that one can not only live a long, healthy life on ART, but also thrive. The video encouraged disclosure and appeared to reduce internalised stigma. These qualitative findings indicate high intervention acceptability and feasibility and the potential of FNO to increase ART uptake through multiple pathways. Findings generate a hypothesis that warrants further investigation: "From Now On" could improve post-test HIV counselling and systematically provide psychosocial support through a low cost and scalable intervention.

  PublisherDOI

• Cohort Profile: Migrant Health Follow-Up Study (MHFUS) of internal migration in South Africa

  International Journal of Epidemiology · 2024-06-12 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Why was the cohort set up?Changes in population distribution through migration and urbanization are associated with transitions in health exposure regimens and health outcomes. 1However, our understanding of these links remains limited.South Africa's disease burden is among the highest of the world's middle-income countries, with high prevalence of infectious disease (ID) and non-communicable disease (NCD), 2,3 exacerbated by inadequate monitoring and availability of health information and services. 4 Internal mobility in South Africa is high as people move to urban areas in search of work, often on a temporary basis.These patterns of mobility are rooted in the apartheid legacy of circular and temporary migration between rural and urban areas. [5]][7] The Migrant Health Follow-Up Study (MHFUS) responds to the need to fill this knowledge gap.The MHFUS, funded by the National Institutes of Health, USA, began recruitment in 2017 in the Bushbuckridge district, Mpumalanga Province, in South Africa's northeast.We aim specifically to understand whether and how internal migration and urbanization affect NCD and ID risk, and whether migration compromises treatment continuity.By examining migration dynamics at high spatial and temporal resolutions, with attention to selection and heterogeneity, we aim to assess these Key Features� The Migrant Health Follow-Up Study (MHFUS) was established to address a knowledge gap about the consequences of migration and urbanization for individual health in a dynamic socioeconomic transition setting in South Africa.� The cohort is based on a simple random sample of 3800 18-40-year-olds selected from the Agincourt Health and socio-Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) in 2017, and consists of both highly mobile internal migrants and Agincourt HDSS residents remaining in their rural origin.� The cohort has thus far been followed for four study waves between 2018 and 2022, with information on education, employment, migration, household composition, health (including general health, chronic conditions, HIV, sleep), health service use and diet collected in all waves; biometric and anthropometric measures collected during the face-to-face interview rounds in Waves 1 and 4 (interviews were administered via telephone in Waves 2 and 3).� The study has achieved exceptional rates of cohort retention, with 98% of Wave 1 participants re-interviewed in Wave 4 (n ¼ 3039).

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Migrant men and HIV care engagement in Johannesburg, South Africa

  BMC Public Health · 2024-02-12 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: South Africa (SA) has one of the highest rates of migration on the continent, largely comprised of men seeking labor opportunities in urban centers. Migrant men are at risk for challenges engaging in HIV care. However, rates of HIV and patterns of healthcare engagement among migrant men in urban Johannesburg are poorly understood. METHODS: We analyzed data from 150 adult men (≥ 18 years) recruited in 10/2020-11/2020 at one of five sites in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, SA where migrants typically gather for work, shelter, transit, or leisure: a factory, building materials store, homeless shelter, taxi rank, and public park. Participants were surveyed to assess migration factors (e.g., birth location, residency status), self-reported HIV status, and use and knowledge of HIV and general health services. Proportions were calculated with descriptive statistics. Associations between migration factors and health outcomes were examined with Fisher exact tests and logistic regression models. Internal migrants, who travel within the country, were defined as South African men born outside Gauteng Province. International migrants were defined as men born outside SA. RESULTS: Two fifths (60/150, 40%) of participants were internal migrants and one fifth (33/150, 22%) were international migrants. More internal migrants reported living with HIV than non-migrants (20% vs 6%, p = 0.042), though in a multi-variate analysis controlling for age, being an internal migrant was not a significant predictor of self-reported HIV positive status. Over 90% all participants had undergone an HIV test in their lifetime. Less than 20% of all participants had heard of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), with only 12% international migrants having familiarity with PrEP. Over twice as many individuals without permanent residency or citizenship reported "never visiting a health facility," as compared to citizens/permanent residents (28.6% vs. 10.6%, p = 0.073). CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed a high proportion of migrants within our community-based sample of men and demonstrated a need for HIV and other healthcare services that effectively reach migrants in Johannesburg. Future research is warranted to further disaggregate this heterogenous population by different dimensions of mobility and to understand how to design HIV programs in ways that will address migrants' challenges.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Pandemic preparedness improves national-level SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality data completeness: a cross-country ecologic analysis

  Population Health Metrics · 2024-06-15 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Heterogeneity in national SARS-CoV-2 infection surveillance capabilities may compromise global enumeration and tracking of COVID-19 cases and deaths and bias analyses of the pandemic's tolls. Taking account of heterogeneity in data completeness may thus help clarify analyses of the relationship between COVID-19 outcomes and standard preparedness measures. METHODS: We examined country-level associations of pandemic preparedness capacities inventories, from the Global Health Security (GHS) Index and Joint External Evaluation (JEE), on SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 death data completion rates adjusted for income. Analyses were stratified by 100, 100-300, 300-500, and 500-700 days after the first reported case in each country. We subsequently reevaluated the relationship of pandemic preparedness on SARS-CoV-2 infection and age-standardized COVID-19 death rates adjusted for cross-country differentials in data completeness during the pre-vaccine era. RESULTS: Every 10% increase in the GHS Index was associated with a 14.9% (95% confidence interval 8.34-21.8%) increase in SARS-CoV-2 infection completion rate and a 10.6% (5.91-15.4%) increase in the death completion rate during the entire observation period. Disease prevention (infections: β = 1.08 [1.05-1.10], deaths: β = 1.05 [1.04-1.07]), detection (infections: β = 1.04 [1.01-1.06], deaths: β = 1.03 [1.01-1.05]), response (infections: β = 1.06 [1.00-1.13], deaths: β = 1.05 [1.00-1.10]), health system (infections: β = 1.06 [1.03-1.10], deaths: β = 1.05 [1.03-1.07]), and risk environment (infections: β = 1.27 [1.15-1.41], deaths: β = 1.15 [1.08-1.23]) were associated with both data completeness outcomes. Effect sizes of GHS Index on infection completion (Low income: β = 1.18 [1.04-1.34], Lower Middle income: β = 1.41 [1.16-1.71]) and death completion rates (Low income: β = 1.19 [1.09-1.31], Lower Middle income: β = 1.25 [1.10-1.43]) were largest in LMICs. After adjustment for cross-country differences in data completeness, each 10% increase in the GHS Index was associated with a 13.5% (4.80-21.4%) decrease in SARS-CoV-2 infection rate at 100 days and a 9.10 (1.07-16.5%) decrease at 300 days. For age-standardized COVID-19 death rates, each 10% increase in the GHS Index was with a 15.7% (5.19-25.0%) decrease at 100 days and a 10.3% (- 0.00-19.5%) decrease at 300 days. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the pre-pandemic hypothesis that countries with greater pandemic preparedness capacities have larger SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality data completeness rates and lower COVID-19 disease burdens. More high-quality data of COVID-19 impact based on direct measurement are needed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• “Emotional stress is more detrimental than the virus itself”: A qualitative study to understand HIV testing and pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among internal migrant men in South Africa

  Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2024-03-01 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: South Africa has one of the highest rates of internal migration on the continent, largely comprised of men seeking labour in urban centres. South African men who move within the country (internal migrants) are at higher risk than non-migrant men of acquiring HIV yet are less likely to test or use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, little is known about the mechanisms that link internal migration and challenges engaging in HIV services. METHODS: We recruited 30 internal migrant men (born outside Gauteng Province) during August 2022 for in-depth qualitative interviews at two sites in Johannesburg (Gauteng) where migrants may gather, a factories workplace and a homeless shelter. Interviewers used open-ended questions, based in the Theory of Triadic Influence, to explore experiences and challenges with HIV testing and/or PrEP. A mixed deductive inductive content analytic approach was used to review data and explain why participants may or may not use these services. RESULTS: Migrant men come to Johannesburg to find work, but unreliable income, daily stress and time constraints limit their availability to seek health services. While awareness of HIV testing is high, the fear of a positive diagnosis often overshadows the benefits. In addition, many men lack knowledge about the opportunity for PrEP should they test negative, though they express interest in the medication after learning about it. Additionally, these men struggle with adjusting to urban life, lack of social support and fear of potential stigma. Finally, the necessity to prioritize work combined with long wait times at clinics further restricts their access to HIV services. Despite these challenges, Johannesburg also presents opportunities for HIV services for migrant men, such as greater anonymity and availability of HIV information and services in the city as compared to their rural homes of origin. CONCLUSIONS: Bringing HIV services to migrant men at community sites may ease the burden of accessing these services. Including PrEP counselling and services alongside HIV testing may further encourage men to test, particularly if integrated into counselling for livelihood and coping strategies, as well as support for navigating health services in Johannesburg.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01MH083539

  NIH · $2.2M · 2014

• NIH Grant K01MH069113

  NIH · $664k · 2009

• Partnerships for the Next Generation of HIV Social Science in South Africa

  NIH · $1.9M · 2013–2019

• Using Information to Align Services and Link and Retain Men in the HIV Cascade

  NIH · $2.1M · 2015–2021

Frequent coauthors

• Kenneth H. Mayer

  Fenway Health

  78 shared

• Brandon D. L. Marshall

  Brown University

  73 shared

• Don Operario

  Emory University

  64 shared

• Omar Galárraga

  Brown University

  57 shared

• Susan Cu‐Uvin

  Brown University

  52 shared

• Abigail Harrison

  Brown University

  51 shared

• Christopher J. Colvin

  50 shared

• Kartik K. Venkatesh

  The Ohio State University

  41 shared

Education

• B.A., Political Science and Film Studies

  Boston University

  1986

• M.S., African History

  University of Florida

  1991

• Ph.D., Public Health

  Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health

  2001