He received the James M. Tien Early Career Award, which honors faculty members who demonstrate exceptional growth, impact and contributions early in their academic careers. The award includes a $1,000 cash prize and up to $8,000 in discretionary funds to support ongoing research and professional activities.

The ceremony took place on April 21 at the Lakeside Village Expo Center on the Coral Gables campus.

Kathryn McCollister, Ph.D., professor and interim chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences, nominated Dr. Bartholomew for the award. Her nomination letter, which was read during the ceremony, highlighted his exceptional research productivity, policy contributions, and emerging national leadership in HIV implementation science and harm reduction.

“Dr. Bartholomew has demonstrated a clear ability to translate rigorous research into work that informs public health practice,” Dr. McCollister said. “His contributions reflect both strong scientific inquiry and a commitment to addressing real-world health challenges.”

Dr. Bartholomew’s work focuses on developing, testing, and scaling low-threshold models of care for people who use drugs and communities affected by HIV, hepatitis C (HCV), substance use, and structural barriers to health care. Nationally, his research is helping define how implementation science can be used to move evidence-based HIV and harm reduction interventions into community-based settings where they can have the greatest impact.

His work includes Project ACCESS, a $5.5 million national implementation trial examining the effectiveness of a multicomponent implementation strategy on implementation and sustainment of opt-out HIV and HCV testing in 36 syringe services programs (SSPs). His preliminary work examining the effectiveness of opt-out testing in SSPs was recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the first intervention in this setting to increase HIV and HCV testing uptake, leading to national scale-up.

Across these efforts, Dr. Bartholomew’s research centers the voices and experiences of communities most impacted by substance use and HIV, ensuring that interventions are not only evidence-based, but also responsive to the priorities, needs, and realities of the people they are designed to serve.

In addition to his research, Dr. Bartholomew has contributed to public health policy and service delivery in Florida.

Working with Hansel Tookes, M.D., M.P.H., he helped spearhead the passage of Florida’s 2019 Infectious Disease Elimination Act, which legalized syringe services programs statewide. The effort was driven by data generated through the IDEA Exchange program in Miami and helped move Florida from having no authorized syringe services programs to allowing all 67 counties to establish these services. To date, there are 8 authorized programs across Florida which have enrolled nearly 10,000 people in live-saving services.

His work has also helped expand the IDEA Exchange from Florida’s first sanctioned syringe services program into a comprehensive care model that integrates low-barrier buprenorphine treatment, PrEP, HIV, hepatitis C and STI testing and treatment, vaccination and wraparound services.

Their signature intervention called tele-harm reduction, co-developed by Dr. Tookes, Dr. Bartholomew, and their community, will be the first evidence-based intervention for people who inject drugs living with HIV to support viral suppression in the U.S. The IDEA program also serves as a training hub for medical and graduate students, supporting capstone projects, research experiences and training grants.

Dr. Bartholomew also plays an active role in training the next generation of public health professionals, mentoring students and leading coursework in implementation science. His mentorship reflects the same community-centered approach that guides his research, emphasizing scientific rigor, partnership, health equity, and the importance of translating evidence into practice.

“Receiving this award is deeply meaningful because it validates not only our work, but also the communities, partners, staff, students, and people with lived experience who make this work possible.” Dr. Bartholomew said. “Much of our research is grounded in the belief that communities most affected by HIV, hepatitis C, substance use, and structural barriers to care should be in the driver's seat in designing solutions for them, by them. This is central to why our interventions and implementation approaches work. To have this work recognized by the Provost affirms that community-engaged, harm reduction-oriented, and implementation-focused research can generate meaningful scientific impact while also improving lives.”

“Dr. Bartholomew’s dedication, scholarship and impact so early in his career truly stand out, and it’s been a pleasure to see the growth and excellence he brings to the department,” said Margie Jimenez, M.A., CRA, assistant chair. “This recognition reflects not only his hard work, but also the respect he’s earned from colleagues and leadership.”

The award recognizes faculty whose work is shaping their field early in their careers, and places Dr. Bartholomew among researchers contributing to public health scholarship and innovation across the University.

“Dr. Bartholomew’s work brings together rigorous research, community partnership and direct policy impact,” McCollister said. “That combination reflects the model of engaged public health science this award is meant to recognize.”

Written by Deycha Torres Hernández, published May 5, 2026.