Brief Longitudinal Incident Sentinel Surveillance (BLISS) for People Who Inject Drugs (PI: Mcfarland; Co-I: Arayasirikul)

To end the HIV epidemic, data collection systems need to be more rapid, representative, and responsive to the most marginalized populations at highest risk. Brief Longitudinal Incident Sentinel Surveillance (BLISS) is a novel epidemiological data collection system for PWID in Alameda and San Francisco counties that will use a novel venue-based / peer-referral hybrid method called “Starfish Sampling” to accrue a cohort and follow them longitudinally, employ brief monthly responses to 11 sentinel events of high significance to the HIV and substance use epidemics (e.g., PrEP uptake or discontinuation, harm reduction program utilization), and selected sentinel events will trigger “deeper dive” data collection through ecological momentary assessments (EMAs).

The h2R Training Program (MPI: Mirzazdeh, Arayasirikul, McFarland, Glidden)

The H2R training program will develop short trainings on methods for recruiting, sampling, and counting hardly reached populations. The program program will establish a core of short courses, strengthen mentorship, and initiate lines of research for trainees and mentors. In an effort to support cross-disciplinary exchange of methods and best practices in the social epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in other health equity research areas, Dr. Arayasirikul will mentor trainees and lead the development of courses focused on fundamentals and principles of community-engaged research and ethnographic methodologies to improve engagement and participation among populations hardly reached in public health research.

Sweekar (PI: wilson; Co-I: Arayasirikul)

Building a prior exploratory study, Sweekar (or “acceptance” in Nepali) will collect formative data and pilot a multi-level, HIV serostatus neutral, stigma reduction intervention or acceptance in Nepali. To increase HIV testing by addressing anticipated stigma, the individual level intervention component is a tailored HIV self-testing intervention. To increase ART adherence by addressing anticipated and experiences stigma, the systems level intervention component is HIV treatment home delivery. To address stigma at the community level, we will conduct a contact intervention informed by Photovoice to reduce experienced and internalized stigma. Photovoice will be used to inform content and delivery of a social media campaign to reduce anti-trans in Nepali society, with benefits for increasing social support and empowerment among trans women in Nepal, which will help mitigate internalized stigma.

T’Cher, Take Charge (MPI: Barak, wilson; Co-I: Arayasirikul)

T’Cher, Take Charge: Increasing PrEP Awareness, Uptake, and Adherence Through Health Care Empowerment and Addressing Social Determinants of Health Among Racially Diverse Trans Women in the Deep South

This study will develop and test a PrEP intervention with 200 trans women in New Orleans, LA using a randomized stepped wedge cross-over study design. The intervention will include a social media campaign to increase PrEP awareness among trans women. It will also include peer navigation to build trust among trans people and provide digital PrEP navigation that will leverage text messaging, motivational interviewing and ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) to increase health care empowerment and address social determinants of health barriers to PrEP uptake and adherence.

ONE BALLROOM (PI: Arayasirikul)

One Ballroom is a national mixed methods longitudinal population-based study of intersectional HIV stigma, and HIV prevention and care among sexual and gender minorities of color (SGMoC) in the House and Ballroom Community (HBC). This study is the first step in a program of research that will lead to a stigma reduction intervention. It will include a 3-year longitudinal qualitative phase, a 12-month longitudinal social epidemiologic phase, and an intensive longitudinal ecological momentary assessment phase.

MSN: mobile systems navigation (MPI: wilson & arayasirikul)

In this implementation science, developmental intervention pilot study, we will pilot a task-shifting, digital health, navigation intervention using text messaging, ecological momentary assessments, and motivational interviewing for trans women living with HIV. This study will establish the foundation for the development of a next-generation intervention to better engage trans women living with HIV to address their substance use and mental healthcare needs.

Connectad@s (pi: McFarland; Co-I: arayasirikul)

In this NIAID-funded study, we propose to start a line of research to help turn the tide on the HIV epidemic among young men who have sex with men (MSM) in Brazil. Researchers from the San Francisco Department of Public Health will team up with scientists at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We will measure the prevalence and incidence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and characterize the onset of risk behavior and barriers to biomedical interventions among young MSM ages 18-24 years in a population-based survey in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We will develop and pilot test a technology-based intervention for rapid ART and PrEP linkage and retention for young MSM, and identify barriers and solutions to increase the participation of MSM age 15-17 years in biomedical HIV prevention research and programs.

Health enav (PI: Arayasirikul)

Health eNav is a 6-month, digital HIV care navigation intervention leveraging SMS text messaging to provide digital HIV care navigation services to young people living with HIV. Participants are connected to their own digital HIV care navigator and receive the following components: (1) digital HIV care navigation and (2) ecological momentary assessments. Through the use of digital technology, Health eNav extends supportive care structures beyond clinic walls at times when youth and young adults living with HIV who are newly diagnosed, not linked to care, out of care, and not virally suppressed need support the most. Health eNav is an engagement and retention-in-HIV-care intervention, aimed at addressing critical gaps and barriers to successfully identifying, linking, engaging, and retaining youth and young adults living with HIV in medical care. The goal of Health eNav is to improve outcomes across the HIV care continuum, specifically retention in HIV care, ART initiation, and viral suppression.