Dr. Manjeetha Jaggernath

Manjeetha Jaggernath is a South African public health researcher whose work centers on HIV prevention among women during periconception and pregnancy. Her scholarship advances safer conception care in high HIV-burden settings, with a strong focus on integrating oral PrEP into reproductive health services. Through leadership in the Healthy Families-PrEP initiative and related cohorts in KwaZulu-Natal, she has contributed to evidence guiding prevention choices for women exposed to HIV.

Her research examines PrEP uptake, adherence, and persistence using mixed methods and innovative biomarkers, including plasma, dried blood spots, electronic monitoring, and point-of-care urine assays. She has explored behavioral, structural, and relational influences on adherence, stigma, partner dynamics, and STI partner notification. Participation in major clinical trials of long-acting prevention, including lenacapavir, reflects engagement in evaluating next-generation HIV prevention tools for cisgender women.

Across clinical, qualitative, and implementation studies, Jaggernath’s work highlights the complexities of HIV risk perception, male partner involvement, and STI integration within reproductive health. Her contributions inform policy and program design aimed at improving adherence support and expanding effective, woman-centered HIV prevention strategies in sub-Saharan Africa.