Dr. Mehta’s research focuses on the consequences of injection drug use with a particular focus on HIV and HCV. Within HIV and HCV, her interests are broad, ranging from disease prevention to the clinical consequences of the two infections individually and together, as well as access to care and treatment outcomes for HIV and HCV.
Dr. Mehta has expertise in large cohort studies and is the co-principal investigator of a longitudinal study among community-based injection drug users in Baltimore, Maryland (The AIDS Linked to the Intravenous Experience, or ALIVE, cohort). This cohort has been ongoing for more than 20 years and has followed more than 4,000 IDUs. Dr. Mehta is working on several research projects in India related to the burden and impact of liver disease secondary to HCV and alcohol use and related to interventions to improve HIV testing and treatment outcomes among IDUs in India.