About

Stephen Bonett, PhD, MA, RN, is an Assistant Professor of Nursing in the Department of Family and Community Health at Penn Nursing. His research addresses systems level factors in public health service delivery through community-partnered research that employs implementation science methods within a health equity framework. His background as a public health nurse drives a collaborative research agenda connected to community priorities, aiming to improve the environment of care, reduce structural impediments to accessing HIV prevention, and promote health equity. Bonett’s work highlights the root causes of disparities, such as racism and classism, and partners with community organizations to build power and advocate for health and justice. He is involved in evaluating innovative models for sexual health services and addressing structural barriers to care, supporting system-level adaptations that center community needs. Bonett is also a member of the study team for the NIH-funded Philadelphia Community Engagement Alliance (Philly CEAL), where he facilitates community engagement and leads statistical analysis for the project’s monitoring and evaluation plan.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Psychology
• Demography
• Social psychology
• Computer science

Selected publications

• Addressing Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy through Community Engagement: The VaxUpPhillyFamilies Program

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• The relationship between state-level factors and LGBTQ+ policies in diverse healthcare settings in the United States: a cross-sectional multilevel analysis

  BMC Health Services Research · 2025-08-06 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and other sexual and gender diverse (LGBTQ+) individuals face persistent discrimination in healthcare settings, highlighting organizational inclusion efforts to reduce these inequities. While prior research has largely focused on institutional characteristics, the broader policy and sociopolitical context in which healthcare facilities operate remains underexplored. This study makes a novel contribution by using a multilevel approach to examine how state-level factors (e.g., LGBTQ+ laws, political climate, racial and ethnic demographic composition, and Medicaid expansion) are associated with the implementation of LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and practices within diverse healthcare settings across the United States. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) data collected in 2021 to evaluate LGBTQ+ inclusion in healthcare facilities. We examined 904 American facilities across 48 states that participated in the HEI in 2021. Multilevel modeling was utilized to investigate the association between different state-level factors (LGBTQ+ inclusiveness in laws, political climate, racial and ethnic minority population, and Medicaid expansion status) and HEI scores in the domains of non-discrimination policies, LGBTQ+ inclusive clinical services, inclusive employee benefits, and LGBTQ+ community engagement within different types of healthcare facilities. RESULTS: In 48 states, 33.3% were Democratic, 22.9% were divided, and 43.8% were Republican; 70.8% had expanded Medicaid. The mean racial and ethnic minority population was 34.9% (SD = 16.2). Among the 904 facilities, 64.7% were short-term acute care hospitals. State-level political climate and racial and ethnic minority population were significant predictors of LGBTQ+ inclusive patient services within healthcare facilities. Compared to acute care hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, and outpatient facilities had lower scores for non-discrimination policies and LGBTQ+ staff training. VA hospitals scored higher for LGBTQ+ inclusive clinical services. Outpatient facilities, psychiatric and behavioral hospitals, and rehabilitation hospitals had lower scores for inclusive employee benefits, while VA hospitals scored higher. Critical access hospitals, psychiatric and behavioral hospitals, and VA hospitals had lower scores for LGBTQ+ community engagement. CONCLUSION: Healthcare leaders must be mindful of the influence of state politics on the continued delivery of LGBTQ+ inclusive clinical services. Additionally, system-level interventions are needed to enhance LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts across various types of healthcare facilities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Innovation in Providing Equitable Pre‐exposure Prophylaxis Services in the United States: Expanding Access in Nontraditional Settings

  JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes · 2025-03-31 · 11 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) usage has slowly increased in the United States, but significant disparities persist across race, ethnicity, sex, gender, age, and geography. Determinants of PrEP inequities include stigma and medical mistrust, lack of patient-centered services, lack of access to clinical care, and organizational resistance to change-within a health care system that neglects these barriers. METHODS: We describe 5 implementation strategies to providing PrEP in nontraditional settings to underserved populations, using an equity-based approach to address key structural determinants. The alternative settings used in these Ending the HIV Epidemic projects (community-based organizations, telePrEP, mobile clinics, pharmacies, emergency departments) were chosen for the setting characteristics and their serving structurally underserved populations. RESULTS: Community-based organizations have earned trust within communities and can serve as hubs for comprehensive sexual health services, including PrEP. Telehealth, which expanded significantly because of COVID-19, can help overcome transportation and scheduling barriers to PrEP access. Mobile clinics can also broaden PrEP delivery by bringing tailored services directly to communities, often providing shorter wait times and extended hours. Pharmacists can prescribe PrEP in certain states through legislation or collaborative practice agreements, offering a convenient, community-based option. Emergency departments provide an alternative site for PrEP delivery, with the potential to reach individuals not currently engaged in regular care. CONCLUSION: These alternative PrEP approaches can expand options for accessing PrEP and alleviate key barriers to care in traditional settings, although they may not eliminate all inequities. Offering more choices increases the likelihood that a broader population will be reached, thereby enhancing overall access to PrEP.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Correction: Psychosocial correlates of parents’ willingness to vaccinate their children against COVID-19

  PLoS ONE · 2025-04-29

  erratumOpen access

  [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305877.].

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Facilitators and Barriers to Equitable Implementation of Telehealth PrEP Delivery: A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Program Staff and Stakeholders

  Health Promotion Practice · 2025-06-19 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Expanding access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is crucial for ending the HIV epidemic in the United States and reducing disparities in HIV incidence among marginalized populations. Telehealth models for the delivery of PrEP have the potential to improve access, acceptability, and adherence. In 2022, Philadelphia established the Philadelphia TelePrEP Program to deliver HIV prevention services through telehealth. This qualitative descriptive study aims to identify implementation determinants for telehealth PrEP services in Philadelphia. We completed nine in-depth interviews with staff at the Philadelphia TelePrEP Program (n = 5) and external stakeholders in the HIV prevention workforce (n = 4) using a semi-structured interview guide based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Thematic analysis was used to identify key facilitators and barriers to implementation. Interviews revealed that telePrEP improved convenience and flexibility in accessing PrEP, but online marketing may exclude certain populations with limited digital presence. Dedicated patient navigators and ongoing staff training were key facilitators, whereas limited provider capacity was a challenge. Sustainable funding through grants and 340B revenue enabled the Philadelphia TelePrEP Program to serve uninsured patients. The digital divide, lack of PrEP awareness, and competition from commercial telePrEP providers were identified as potential barriers to engaging priority populations. TelePrEP has the potential to expand the availability of PrEP services and reach communities that currently face barriers to access. However, overcoming key structural and social barriers around public awareness, technology access, and organizational capacity will be critical for successful implementation.

  PublisherDOI

• Multilevel Examination of Hospital Participation in the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI): The Role of Geographic Location and State Health Care Policies

  Journal of Health and Social Behavior · 2025-08-03 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  The Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) evaluates compliance with LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and other sexual and gender diverse individuals) inclusion in U.S. health care facilities and is associated with greater patient satisfaction. We examined how hospitals' metropolitan location and state-level LGBTQ+ health care policies are associated with voluntary HEI participation and performance. This cross-sectional study analyzed 6,120 U.S. hospitals from the 2022 American Hospital Association Annual Survey. Multilevel logistic regression assessed the relationship and varying impact of metropolitan status and state policies on HEI participation and HEI Leader status (highest performance). State policies had a stronger positive association with nonmetropolitan hospitals. Each additional policy increased HEI participation odds by 58% for nonmetropolitan hospitals (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.19, 2.10) and 21% for metropolitan hospitals (aOR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.43). No significant associations with HEI Leader status were observed. Strengthening LGBTQ+ inclusive state policies may encourage hospitals, particularly in nonmetropolitan areas, to adopt LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives.

  PublisherDOI

• Correction: Assessing and Improving Data Integrity in Web-Based Surveys: Comparison of Fraud Detection Systems in a COVID-19 Study

  JMIR Formative Research · 2025-04-30

  erratumOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  [This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/47091.].

  PublisherDOI

• Implementation determinants of LGBTQ+ inclusive practices in US health systems: a qualitative descriptive study of nurse leaders

  BMJ Open · 2025-11-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: Despite efforts to implement lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and other sexual and gender diverse (LGBTQ+) inclusive practices to address health disparities faced by LGBTQ+ individuals, factors that facilitate the uptake of these practices remain underexplored. Informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), this study explores nurse leaders' perspectives across diverse US healthcare systems regarding the facilitators and barriers to implementing LGBTQ+ inclusive practices. DESIGN: We used a qualitative descriptive design. Semistructured interviews guided by the CFIR framework were conducted from October to December 2023. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. SETTING: Diverse healthcare settings (eg, acute care hospitals and public health centres) across the USA. PARTICIPANTS: We purposively recruited 21 nurse leaders, such as chief nursing officers or chief nurse executives, who oversee nursing strategy, staffing and quality across their organisations. RESULTS: Consistent with prior frontline-focused studies, nurse leaders confirmed key inner setting and individuals facilitators (eg, LGBTQ+ specific training, electronic health record adaptation, visible executive engagement). Our findings add system-level detail from an executive perspective. Leaders identified actionable levers such as establishing LGBTQ+ clinical and social services, allocating protected time and budgets, and deploying dedicated implementation teams. We also identified a cross-cutting barrier: a reactive, crisis-driven organisational culture that hinders proactive inclusion efforts. Beyond the organisation, sociopolitical and legal climates shaped readiness and resourcing, with anti-LGBTQ+ laws influencing inclusion initiatives. Finally, nurse leaders highlighted the need for rigorous multilevel evaluation (eg, patient, staff, institution) and noted that common surveys inadequately capture LGBTQ+ inclusion, revealing measurement gaps that impede continuous improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing LGBTQ+ inclusive practices in healthcare is essential for optimal health outcomes and social justice. Understanding the context of implementation at multiple levels is crucial. Future research should focus on testing implementation strategies, developing inclusive healthcare surveys, and supporting the role of organisational culture and leadership in promoting LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

  PublisherDOI

• A Decarceral Response to HIV Criminalization in the Black LGBTQIA+ Community

  American Journal of Public Health · 2025-05-15

  articleSenior author

  HIV criminalization statutes continue to disproportionately impact Black queer and trans individuals, particularly Black transgender and gender-expansive people and sex workers, and have historically served as a way to inequitably punish communities for a disease that affects them because of inequitable systems rooted in the legacy of slavery. To achieve the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2030 goals for Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US, it is essential to take bold steps to decriminalize HIV and interrogate the role of criminalization in reinforcing stigma, exacerbating the social determinants of health, and further disenfranchising marginalized communities. Through the analysis of the theory of racial capitalism, we aim to make the argument for complete decriminalization of HIV as a small step in the ultimate goal of prison abolition and decarceration of all peoples. We advocate rejecting efforts aiming to modernize statutes that further concretize the punitive role prisons play in a capitalist society and systematically revoke HIV-affected communities’ right to freedom. Multilevel policies must address the racialized nature of HIV criminalization. ( Am J Public Health. 2025;115(7):1157–1165. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308110 )

  PublisherDOI

• Strengthening the US Health Workforce to End the HIV Epidemic: Lessons Learned From 11 EHE Jurisdictions

  JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes · 2025-03-31 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Supplements were awarded under the National Institutes of Health, ending the HIV epidemic (EHE) initiative to foster implementation science through community-engaged research. The objective of this study was to synthesize lessons learned, identify areas of research sufficiently studied, and present an agenda for future research on HIV health workforce development from a collaboration across 9 EHE projects in 11 jurisdictions in the United States. METHODS: EHE supplement recipients completed a semistructured questionnaire to identify shared lessons learned about common themes of workforce development using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and Expert Recommendation for Implementing Change frameworks. Data were synthesized to identify shared lessons learned, topic areas no longer in need of research, and next steps. RESULTS: Project teams emphasized several strategies including clarifying roles and responsibilities, the need for dynamic training, and stigma mitigation as strategies to enhance the implementation of HIV prevention and treatment services. Strengthening organizational support through supportive supervision structures, ensuring sustainable funding, preventing turnover, addressing salary constraints, and establishing clear promotion and educational pathways were identified as useful workplace development strategies. Supplements identified lessons learned about deploying community engagement strategies to ensure communities were aware of HIV prevention and treatment services. Several areas sufficiently studied that can be deprioritized were identified and discussed. CONCLUSION: A research agenda for workplace development moving forward is discussed with several recommendations to improve the implementation of HIV prevention and treatment programs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Robin Stevens

  Southern California University for Professional Studies

  46 shared

• Nadia Dowshen

  41 shared

• José A. Bauermeister

  University of Pennsylvania

  39 shared

• Yunwen Wang

  State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering

  39 shared

• Natalia Roszkowska

  Cornell University

  37 shared

• Essence Lynn Wilson

  University of Southern California

  37 shared

• Elizabeth Lazarus

  Johns Hopkins University

  37 shared

• Jacqueline Ann Bannon

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  36 shared

Awards & honors

• 2022 CROI New Investigator Scholarship
• 2021 Associate Fellow, Leonard David Institute for Health Ec…
• 2019 APHA David Rosenstein Award for Best Student Abstract
• 2018-2019, Leadership and Education in Adolescent Health (LE…
• 2016-2018, Hillman Scholars in Nursing Innovation Fellow