Her research focuses on HIV associated neurocognitive disorders and their affect on self-management abilities, particularly medication adherence and engagement in care. She also studies health literacy, cognitive rehabilitation, and health disparities. She is the principal investigator of an NIH-funded study examining the effects of health literacy on medication compliance in African Americans living with HIV/AIDS.Even as a young child growing up in Alabama, Drenna Waldrop-Valverde PhD knew she wanted to help people who were less fortunate than she.