Professor Rusi Jaspal, Saving Lives Trustee

Professor Rusi Jaspal is Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Chair in Sexual Health at De Montfort University Leicester in the United Kingdom. He is a Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Rusi Jaspal studied at the University of Cambridge, the University of Surrey, and Royal Holloway, University of London. In 2015, he was awarded a personal chair at De Montfort University Leicester. In 2016, he was appointed Adjunct Professor at Åbo Akademi University in Finland.

Prof Jaspal’s work cuts across the fields of medicine and psychology, with particular foci on HIV and sexual health. His current research focuses on social psychological approaches to preventing HIV and to enhancing wellbeing in HIV patients.  This strand of work examines the social psychological factors underlying: HIV testing, HIV status disclosure, attitudes towards HIV prevention methods (especially PrEP), and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Rusi Jaspal has produced 3 books – the most recent of which is ‘Enhancing Sexual Health, Self-Identity & Wellbeing among Men Who Have Sex With Men’– almost 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and several reports for the Department of Health. He continues to supervise and examine PhD students in his areas of expertise.

As a trustee of Saving Lives UK, Rusi Jaspal is committed to translating research into effective policy and practice to promote HIV testing, to reduce stigma around HIV, and to prevent onward transmission of HIV. He is especially keen to develop interventions for promoting HIV and hepatitis C testing in South Asian communities in the UK.

In addition to his trusteeship at Saving Lives UK, Prof Jaspal sits on the Advisory Board of the Terrence Higgins Trust and on the Board of Trustees of the Leicestershire AIDS Support Service.