Dr. Joseph Davey’s research is conducted through sustained, interdisciplinary collaborations spanning academic institutions, public health delivery systems, community-based organizations, and global policy bodies in the United States and sub-Saharan Africa. Her work has generated evidence to inform the integration of HIV prevention, including oral and long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), into antenatal and postnatal care, while explicitly addressing equity, access, and the historical exclusion of pregnant and breastfeeding women from clinical research. She also evaluates how best to implement sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnostics and treatment among pregnant women and their partners. Through close engagement with national ministries of health and global normative agencies, her research has contributed to policy guidance aimed at reducing maternal HIV acquisition and eliminating vertical transmission. She is on the WHO Triple Elimination Validating Committee for the African Region and is lead of a PrEP in pregnancy international working group.
Some recent publications of her team’s include:
Court L, Mvududu R, Schoetz Dean S, Knight L, Dovel K, Gandhi M, Myer L, Coates T, Joseph Davey DL. Exploration of Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women’s Acceptability of Rapid Point-of-Care Urine Testing Within Antenatal and Postnatal Care, and Its Perceived Impact on PrEP Adherence When Paired with PrEP Biofeedback Adherence Counselling in Cape Town, South Africa. AIDS Behav. 2026 Jan 12. doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-04961-y. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41524867.
Joseph Davey, D. L., Mvududu, R., Mashele, N., Bheemraj, K., Khadka, N., Johnson, L. F., Dean, S. S., Gorbach, P., Bekker, L. G., Coates, T. J., & Myer, L. (2024). Initiation and continued use of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis among pregnant and postpartum women in South Africa (PrEP-PP): a demonstration cohort study. The Lancet HIV, 11(11), e746–e755.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(24)00240-6
Joseph Davey, D., de Voux, A., Hlatshwayo, L., Nelson, A., Frigati, L., Bheemraj, K., Wara, N., Mvududu, R., & Myer, L. (2024). Prevention of congenital syphilis within antenatal PrEP services in South Africa: missed opportunities. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 24(6), 571–572.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-
Joseph Davey DL, Knight L, Markt-Maloney J, Tsawe N, Gomba Y, Mashele N, Dovel K, Gorbach P, Bekker LG, Coates TJ, Myer L. “I had Made the Decision, and No One was Going to Stop Me” – Facilitators of PrEP Adherence During Pregnancy and Postpartum in Cape Town, South Africa. AIDS Behav. 2021 Jun 3:1–9. doi:10.1007/s10461-021-03320-x. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34085132; PMCID: PMC8174535.
Shaetonhodi, N. G., de Voux, A., Babalola, C. M., Joseph Davey, D., Mdingi, M. M., Gigi, R. M. S., Peters, R. P. H., Mukomana, F., Klausner, J. D., & Medina-Marino, A. (2025). Prevalence, symptomology, and correlates of curable sexually transmitted infections among pregnant women in Eastern Cape, South Africa. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 36(10), 786–799.
https://doi.org/10.1177/09564624251347484
de Vos, L., Mussa, A., Rousseau, E., Strauss, M., George, G., Vundhla, P., Gebengu, A., Tsuaneng, M., Tamuthiba, L., Tumagole, A., Moshashane, N., Morroni, C., Peters, R. P. H., Babalola, C. M., Klausner, J. D., & Joseph Davey, D. (2025). Preference for Service Delivery for Long-Acting Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Infection Among Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women in South Africa and Botswana. AIDS and Behavior, 29(9), 2963–2975.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-025-04751-6
Nyemba, D. C., Joseph-Davey, D. L., Delany-Moretlwe, S., Myer, L., & Johnson, L. F. (2025). The effect of STI screening during pregnancy on vertical transmission of HIV and adverse pregnancy outcomes in South Africa: a modelling study. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 28(2), e26410.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.26410