About

Scott Taylor is the Dean of the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and a Professor of International Relations. His research and teaching interests focus on African politics and political economy, with particular emphasis on business-state relations, private sector development, governance, and political and economic reform. Dr. Taylor has authored several books, including Politics in Southern Africa: Transition and Transformation, Culture and Customs of Zambia, Business and the State in Southern Africa: The Politics of Economic Reform, and Globalization and the Cultures of Business in Africa: From Patrimonialism to Profit, as well as numerous articles in political science and area studies journals. He has extensive experience in international development, having consulted for organizations such as USAID, DfID, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, and the Carter Center. Dr. Taylor has served as a visiting researcher at the University of Zambia, the University of Zimbabwe, and the Christian Michelsen Institute in Norway. He has traveled widely across Africa and participated as an election observer in countries including Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Previously, he taught at Smith College and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, where he was also Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Dr. Taylor is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on various advisory and trustee boards, including the Southern African Institute for Policy and Research, Franklin and Marshall College, and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Psychiatry
• Anesthesia
• Surgery
• Audiology
• Clinical psychology
• Family medicine
• Physical therapy
• Psychology

Selected publications

• Neurocognitive Impairment and HIV Treatment Engagement in Men Who Have Sex With Men Living With HIV Who Report Chronic Pain and Substance Use

  AIDS Research and Treatment · 2025-01-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  This study explored relationships between neurocognitive impairment (NCI), engagement in HIV care, and functional disability among sexual minority men aged 50 years or older living with HIV, chronic pain, and recent substance use. Sixty‐three participants completed cross‐sectional assessments including a neurocognitive screening measure, self‐reported HIV medication adherence, past‐year attendance at HIV‐care appointments, and indices of pain and functional impairment. Mean participant age was 57.2 years; most identified as White (55%), followed by Black/African American (42%). On average, participants reported moderate pain; 66.7% met DSM‐5 criteria for a substance use disorder. Average Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) performance reflected mild NCI. Regression analyses indicated an association between poorer MoCA performance and past‐year missed HIV‐care appointments ( B = −0.09, t (59) = −3.10, p = 0.004). Self‐reported cognitive impairment was associated with more missed HIV‐care visits ( B = 0.20, t (59) = 4.82, p < 0.001) and greater functional disability, whereas poorer semantic fluency was associated with fewer missed HIV‐care visits ( B = −0.49, t (59) = −3.99, p < 0.001). Increased brief neuropsychological assessment and linkage to tailored interventions for HIV‐care engagement and substance use mitigation are warranted to support PLWH with NCI in clinical care.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Acceptability of a Smartphone-Based Music Intervention for Chronic Pain and Problematic Opioid Use Among People with HIV: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study

  AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses · 2024-12-23 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Chronic pain can be complicated by problematic opioid use, which may decrease engagement in care and HIV medication adherence. Pain-related anxiety and catastrophic thinking augment pain severity and interference while driving increased substance use. The acceptability and effect of a music-based smartphone application on negative affect and catastrophic thinking were evaluated in a mixed-methods study among persons living with HIV (PWH) with problematic opioid use and chronic pain. Participants ( N = 16) completed a 10-min music listening session, quantitative assessment , and qualitative interview. Paired sample t -tests compared pre- and post-test scores of negative affect (Profile of Mood States-Short Form) and pain catastrophizing (Situational Pain Catastrophizing Scale) before and after music. Qualitative data were analyzed using within-case, across-case analysis. Negative affect significantly decreased after the music listening session (pre 8.3 ± 6.7 vs. post 1.8 ± 2.6; p = .0003), as did pain catastrophizing (pre 8.5 ± 4.3 vs. post 2.5 ± 3.4; p < .0001). Qualitatively, participants ( n = 14) viewed the app-based music listening session as acceptable and potentially useful as an intervention or adjuvant for pain management and reduction of opioid use. Overall, a brief exposure to a novel music app produced significant improvements in negative affect and pain-related catastrophic thoughts among PWH with problematic opioid use and chronic pain. Future work should further explore the effects of music on pain and the use of illicit substances more broadly in this population.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Chronic pain and substance use disorders among older sexual minority men living with HIV: Implications for HIV disease management across the HIV care continuum

  AIDS Care · 2022 · 15 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Medicine
  • Psychiatry
  • Clinical psychology

  HIV continues to be a critical health issue for sexual minority men (SMM) in the USA. Chronic pain is common in individuals with HIV, including older SMM, and is associated with substance use behaviors. This cross-sectional study sought to address a gap in the literature by characterizing interrelationships among chronic pain, substance use disorders (SUDs), medication adherence, and engagement in HIV care among older (≥50) SMM living with HIV and chronic pain (N = 63). The unadjusted relationship between an opioid use disorder and pain indicated that participants with an opioid use disorder reported higher pain ratings than those without. Presence of alcohol use disorder was significantly associated with missed HIV-care appointments due to chronic pain or substance use, showing that individuals with an alcohol use disorder reported more missed appointments in the past year. Higher pain was significantly associated with the same missed appointments variable, such that those reporting higher pain ratings also reported more missed appointments in the past year. These findings provide preliminary evidence of the interrelationships among chronic pain, SUDs, and engagement in HIV care among older SMM living with HIV and suggest that pain management in this population might support fuller engagement in HIV care.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Impact of Music on Nociceptive Processing

  Pain Medicine · 2020 · 22 citations

  • Medicine
  • Physical therapy
  • Anesthesia

  OBJECTIVE: Music has been shown to modulate pain, although the impact of music on specific aspects of nociceptive processing is less well understood. Using quantitative sensory testing (QST), we assessed the impact of a novel music app on specific aspects of nociceptive processing. DESIGN: Within-subjects paired comparison of pain processing in control vs music condition. SETTING: Human psychophysical laboratory. SUBJECTS: Sixty healthy adult volunteers. METHODS: Subjects were assessed for baseline anxiety, depression, and catastrophizing using validated questionnaires. QSTs measured included 1) pain threshold and tolerance to deep muscle pressure, 2) pain with mechanical pinprick, 3) temporal summation of pain (TSP) with a repeated pain stimulus, and 4) conditioned pain modulation (CPM) with a second painful stimulus. QSTs were performed in the absence and presence of music delivered through a music app. RESULTS: We found an increase in pressure pain thresholds in both the forearm (P = 0.007) and trapezius (P = 0.002) with music, as well as a decrease in the amount of pinprick pain (P < 0.001) and TSP (P = 0.01) with music. Interestingly, CPM was also significantly diminished (P < 0.001) in the music condition. No significant difference in cold pain, anxiety, or situational catastrophizing was observed with music. Higher baseline pain catastrophizing scores were associated with less music-induced pressure pain reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Several measures of mechanical pain sensitivity were reduced with music. TSP, a measure of central sensitization, also decreased with music, but CPM, a measure of descending modulation of pain, was not further augmented by music.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• In Response: What Happens When Algorithmic Music Meets Pain Medicine

  Pain Medicine · 2020-05-28 · 2 citations

  letterOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• New Norms, Old Problems: The Department of Defense and the Expanding Hands of Artificial Intelligence

  Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) · 2020-05-04

  dissertation1st authorCorresponding

  In today’s quickly evolving world of technology and interconnectedness, coupled with age old disputes of geopolitics, nation states, and non-state aggression, artificial intelligence (AI) within the United States Department of Defense (DoD) is creating challenges, opportunities, and profound change. This thesis aimed to show, via a 5-year study of scholarly work, media reporting, new government publications on strategies, as well as statements by policy makers and leading technology thinkers, how AI has already affected the DoD in substantial ways and how it is changing its future course. This thesis advanced three threads of themes, weaving them together to paint a picture of how DoD- based AI has altered and continues to alter U.S. national security. First, it revealed an at times strained relationship between the DoD and civilian consumer technology companies. Second, it showed the struggle with new policy within the DoD and U.S. policy makers more broadly. Third, it followed the rise of autonomous technologies, disrupted and enhanced intelligence applications, worldwide cyber intrusion into networks, and how fast-paced change has affected U.S. relations between nation states.

  Publisher

• Perspectives on Pain, Engagement in HIV Care, and Behavioral Interventions for Chronic Pain Among Older Sexual Minority Men Living with HIV and Chronic Pain: A Qualitative Analysis

  Pain Medicine · 2020-09-14 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: The transition of HIV from an acute, fatal illness to a chronic health condition has shifted the treatment needs of people living with HIV (PLWH). PLWH, including sexual minority men (SMM), are living longer and are subject to health concerns often associated with aging. A major health concern of older SMM living with HIV who report problematic substance use is chronic pain. This qualitative analysis of 15 one-on-one interviews with older SMM living with HIV and chronic pain aimed to characterize this population's experiences with pain, engagement in HIV care, and problematic substance use. This study was conducted in a community health center in Boston, MA. We also solicited suggestions for preferred intervention strategies. RESULTS: Three main themes emerged from the interview transcripts: 1) the impact of chronic pain and pain treatment on engagement in HIV clinical care; 2) the impact of substance use on chronic pain; and 3) response to interventions to address chronic pain and substance use. CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the need for interventions that address the structural, physical, and psychological barriers to engagement in medical and self-care that affect older SMM living with HIV and chronic pain.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Feasibility and Acceptability of a Smartphone-Based Music Intervention for Acute Pain

  Proceedings of the ... Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences/Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences · 2019-01-01 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access

  Pain is an unpleasant experience the neurobiology of which is influenced by psychosocial factors including negative affect. Music is a ubiquitous experience that can improve affect, potentially decreasing anxiety and catastrophizing, both of which are associated with greater pain severity. We hypothesized that a machine-learning generative music intervention in the form of a smartphone web app (Unwind) could be used to modulate the experience of pain. In this pilot study, we recruited 15 individuals with acute pain who were admitted to an observation unit in the emergency department, and were being treated with opioids. Participants used the music intervention (Unwind) during this brief hospitalization, after which we assessed their response to its use through a semi-structured qualitative interview. Overall, participants responded positively to Unwind. While some reported some technical challenges, participants were willing to continue using it at home. In particular, participants reported using Unwind to address their anxiety, and many used it to facilitate sleep in the presence of pain. This study demonstrates that individuals with acute pain will accept and use a smartphone-based music protocol.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Can Patients and Families Read the Questionnaires for Patient-related Outcome Measures?

  Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics · 2019-01-09 · 21 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Patient-reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) quantifying health-related quality of life are widely used to evaluate illness and the impact of health care interventions. The questionnaires must be comprehensible by the persons completing them. Literacy Surveys in the United States reveal nearly half of the US adult population have a literacy level below the 8th grade. Recommendations are that health-related written material directed at adults should be at a reading level of grade 6 or below. Reading level for materials aimed at minor patients should be no higher than their grade level. Our aim was to determine the readability of pediatric orthopaedic PROMs as determined by a validated literacy tool. METHODS: A literature search was conducted to identify PROMs cited in pediatric orthopaedics. In total, 79 PROMs were identified. Only text-based PROMs that were developed in English for pediatrics and have published evidence of validation were included, leaving 35 outcome scores for analysis. Text was extracted and analyzed using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES). RESULTS: Of 35 PROMs: 15 (43%) were general, 12 (34%) spine, 5 (14%) lower, and 3 (9%) upper extremity. Ten (29%) were designed to be completed by the caregiver, whereas 25 (71%) by the patient. Ten PROMs intended for completion by a parent had an FRES readability of 8th to 10th grade level with only 2 of 10 corresponding to that would be understood by the average adult. Of the 25 PROMs intended for completion by pediatric patients, only 4 (16%) had a FRES corresponding with the age group intended to complete them. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of PROMs are written at a level of complexity higher than likely to be understood by the persons intended to complete them. This is of significance, given that researchers and practitioners alike rely on data from PROMs in drawing conclusions about the impact of orthopaedic conditions and their treatments on health-related quality of life. Analysis of easily comprehended PROMs will aid in the design of future scores to maximize their utility in research and clinical practice. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II-decision analysis study.

  PublisherDOI

• “Some of us, we don’t know where we’re going to be tomorrow.” Contextual factors affecting PrEP use and adherence among a diverse sample of transgender women in San Francisco

  AIDS Care · 2019-09-04 · 41 citations

  articleOpen access

  Transgender women (TW) are disproportionately affected by HIV. Antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can reduce TW's vulnerability to HIV, but PrEP uptake has been limited among TW. To explore barriers to PrEP uptake, the study team conducted two semi-structured focus groups with TW in San Francisco at risk for HIV acquisition. A within-case, across-case approach was used to code and analyze emerging themes. Focus group participants were racially and ethnically diverse. A few participants in both groups had heard of PrEP, but some had not. Several said that their health care providers had not told them about PrEP. Participants in both groups had questions about side effects. They expressed medical mistrust and said poverty is an important context for their lives. They described a need for gender affirming health care services and raised concerns about interactions of PrEP with feminizing hormones. Information about side effects and interactions between gender affirming hormones and PrEP need to be explicitly addressed in PrEP education campaigns focusing on TW. Health care institutions and health departments should train clinical staff how to provide affirming care. Gender identity nondiscrimination laws and policies could improve transgender people's ability to earn a living and access health care.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Conall O’Cleirigh

  Fenway Health

  48 shared

• Steven A. Safren

  University of Miami

  42 shared

• Kenneth H. Mayer

  Fenway Health

  35 shared

• Steven A. Elsesser

  University of Pennsylvania Health System

  18 shared

• Peter R. Chai

  Harvard University

  14 shared

• Seán Cahill

  Northeastern University

  12 shared

• Nicholas S. Perry

  University of Denver

  8 shared

• Samantha M. McKetchnie

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  8 shared

Education

• Ph.D.

  Emory University

• M.A.

  Emory University

• Other

  Dartmouth College