Clinical Research Directory

Initiative for Chinese Sex Workers to Promote Wellbeing and Improve HIV Prevention by Reducing intersEctional Stigma

During the development phase (Aim 1), investigators will use a community-driven process to further refine a preliminary intervention design that was developed based on previous research. For the intervention phase (Aim 2), investigators will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial of the multi-level intervention. For the individual-level component of the intervention, investigators will recruit 70 Chinese immigrant FSWs who work in MPs in Queens, NYC (n=35 intervention participants and n=35 control participants). To assess the feasibility and acceptability of intervention implementation (Aim 3), investigators will conduct in-depth qualitative interviews with 12 FSW study participants and the 2 peer advocates and focus groups with 4-5 staff from each of the 3 organizations (3 focus groups total and 12-15 focus group participants in total).

Combatting HIV Or Other STIs Early (CHOOSE)

The overarching goal of this project is to optimize the PrEP Choice integrated mHealth package and assess the efficacy and cost of PrEP Choice on PrEP initiation and adherence among young people. It is hypothesized that PrEP Choice will improve HIV PrEP uptake and adherence among young people and will be cost-effective to deliver to young people in the United States (U.S.). This study will also assess the uptake, adherence, and acceptability of DoxyPEP among young people.

Safe Spaces 4 Sexual Health

In an earlier study, the study team carried out an HIV/Sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing approach which found men who have sex with men (MSM) at-risk of getting or spreading HIV in online spaces and linked them to testing services on a mobile van. The goal of this present study is to add on to this approach by connecting participants (MSM aged 18-49 residing in the Baltimore area) with a peer health navigator to support them with getting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or HIV care services after testing. Researchers will compare using a peer health navigator approach to using a referrals-only approach to get PrEP or HIV care services. Participants will be assigned to either Arm A (group that receives peer health navigator help) or Arm B (group that gets referred) to get PrEP or HIV care.

mHealth Service Linkage for Young Adults Impacted by the Criminal Legal System

This study is designed to test Project LYNX, a program designed to help young adults (ages 18-29) with recent criminal legal system involvement can find and get connected to substance use and HIV-prevention services in the community. The program combines support from a trained peer navigator with easy-to-use digital tools. The study will: * Adapt an existing navigator program by adding new digital (eHealth) tools that were co-developed with young adults. These tools will help navigators refer participants to the right health services. * Refine and test the updated program to make sure it works well and is easy to use. * Evaluate whether the program is feasible, acceptable, and helpful in linking young adults to substance use treatment and HIV-prevention services. The overall goal is to create a practical, user-friendly system that supports young adults find and get connected to services for substance use and HIV prevention that they need.

Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Adherence for Black MSM

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if two interventions-C4 and C4+3MV-can improve PrEP adherence (taking medication to prevent HIV) among Black men who have sex with men (MSM). The study will also explore the most effective ways to support participants in continuing their PrEP use over time. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the C4 program help participants take PrEP more regularly? * Does adding the 3MV intervention to C4 provide additional support for adherence? Researchers will compare two intervention strategies to see if they result in better PrEP adherence: * C4 Intervention: A program focused on individualized care coordination and addressing structural needs. * C4 + 3MV Intervention: A combination of care coordination with additional behavioral change sessions. Participants will: * Participate in PrEP education and counseling sessions. * Have their PrEP use monitored through dried blood spot (DBS) tests. * Complete questionnaires about their experiences and challenges with PrEP. Receive support sessions tailored to address individual barriers to PrEP adherence.

The PROTECT (PrEP Optimization Through Telehealth Care and Treatment) Trial

The expansion of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) care has been endorsed as a key strategy for reducing new HIV infections, however, PrEP trials among people who inject drugs (PWID) are rare and uptake of PrEP has been minimal, most notably in rural areas. Structural barriers to healthcare access, lack of providers, and inadequate infrastructure to deliver PrEP are challenges in many rural areas. This study will integrate telehealth PrEP care within local health departments to reduce structural barriers to evidence-based HIV prevention through co-located comprehensive PrEP services, and test this against a standard of care approach in a pilot randomized clinical trial. The primary objective is to examine preliminary efficacy and effect sizes of novel integrated telehealth care versus standard education and active referral on the primary outcome of PrEP initiation in HIV-negative participants who inject drugs.

Adaptive Intervention Strategies for HIV PrEP Care in Rural People Who Inject Drugs

During this 5-year study, stepped-care adaptive interventions will be deployed in three rural syringe service programs in a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) design to test the optimal intervention pathways for HIV PrEP uptake, defined as PrEP initiation (measured by dispensed prescription for oral PrEP) and persistence in PrEP care (measured by refill verification and biomarker confirmation). The study will be accomplished through three Specific Aims. AIM 1: Compare the relative effectiveness of adaptive interventions (AIs) that begin with Peer-led SBCM-PrEP versus those that begin with CDC-PrEP education plus text messaging (TM) on patient-level PrEP care outcomes (initiation and persistence) at 1-, 3- and 6-months; AIM 2: Estimate and rank the effectiveness of four embedded AIs on PrEP care outcomes at 3- and 6-months: (1) CDC-PrEP education, continue TM for responders, add Mobile Outreach for non-responders (NR); (2) CDC-PrEP education, continue TM for responders, add Peer transitional SBCM for NR; (3) Peer-led SBCM-PrEP, continue TM for responders, add Mobile Outreach for NR; (4) Peer-led SBCM-PrEP, continue TM for responders, add Peer transitional SBCM for NR. AIM 3: Across interventions, examine the effects of age, baseline injection frequency, perceived HIV risk, PrEP interest, SSP utilization patterns, and other factors, in predicting PrEP care outcomes at 1-, 3- and 6-months to inform optimally-tailored intervention strategy recommendations.

PrEP Affect Regulation Treatment Innovation

This multi-site randomized controlled trial enrolling sexual minority men who use stimulants and are currently taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This randomized controlled trial will test the efficacy of a PrEP Affect Regulation Treatment Innovation (PARTI) condition comprised of a 5-session positive affect intervention delivered during smartphone-based Contingency Management (CM) for directly observed PrEP doses (PARTI+CM) compared to an attention-control condition delivered during CM. The primary outcome is HIV acquisition risk measured using a combination of tenofovir-diphosphate levels in dried blood spots that are indicative of sub-optimal adherence to PrEP and recent condomless anal sex.

RESTORE Study R61 Phase: Recovery and Engagement for Stimulant Users on Re-entry

Justice-involved individuals face disproportionately high rates of stimulant use disorder and HIV, along with disrupted access to HIV treatment and prevention services like ART and PrEP. Contingency management (CM) is the most effective intervention for stimulant use, but its use in justice-involved populations has been limited by logistical and structural barriers. DynamiCare is an FDA-approved mobile app that delivers behavioral CM and has shown promise in reducing stimulant use, but its impact on HIV-related outcomes remains unknown. The RESTORE study (Recovery and Engagement for Stimulant Users on Re-entry) will evaluate whether combining DynamiCare with patient navigation (DynamiCare-plus) improves PrEP/ART initiation and reduces stimulant use among individuals recently released from justice settings. The R61 phase will assess feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness among 40 participants. If milestones are met, the R33 phase will scale to a randomized controlled trial with 252 participants to assess effectiveness, implementation, and cost. This scalable, mobile approach has the potential to address a critical gap in care for a highly vulnerable population.

UNCPM 22314 - Pregnancy, Infant and Maternal Health Outcomes Study

The primary purpose of this study is to assess the safety of long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) and oral pre-expose prophylaxis (PrEP) (FTC/TDF or 3TC/TDF) for the prevention of HIV during pregnancy and breastfeeding among pregnant women and their infants in Malawi. The main question the study aims to answer is: \- Do composite adverse pregnancy events, maternal health outcomes, and/or infant health outcomes differ between individuals taking oral PrEP and those taking CAB-LA? Women who are already using PrEP at the time of pregnancy diagnosis or those who initiate PrEP during pregnancy will enroll into a Safety Cohort where they will be closely followed up during pregnancy while optimizing their antenatal care (ANC) per the Malawi ANC package. Women will have access to either CAB-LA or oral PrEP and will be given an opportunity to choose one option. Women and their infants will attend a series of follow-up visits through pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period. In addition, the study will contribute to the development of a national PrEP Pregnancy Registry which will be initially rolled out in Lilongwe and Blantyre -the two most populous cities in Malawi-before a nationwide roll out begins under the guidance of the Malawi Ministry of Health.

Client-Centered Care Coordination for Black Men Who Have Sex With Men

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the efficacy of a client-center care coordination intervention (C4) in improving pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) adherence in Black men who have sex with men (MSM). The main aims of the study are: 1. Determine the efficacy of C4 for increasing PrEP adherence among Black MSM. 2. Identify the optimal dose of C4 implementation for maximizing its effect on PrEP adherence. 3. Describe the acceptability and feasibility of C4 implementation in community settings. Participants in the clinical trial will be randomized to receive the intervention or standard of care for PrEP in two sites. Researchers will compare administration of C4 to standard of care to see if C4 improves adherence to PrEP. C4 is a longitudinal intervention which provides individualized client-centered HIV prevention and support services designed to address health and psychosocial needs that impact the success of PrEP use and adherence (i.e., co-morbidities, substance use, mental health, housing, etc.). The intervention pulls from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Comprehensive Risk Counseling and Services (CRCS) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to support client-identified HIV prevention goals to promote, adopt, and maintain PrEP use. CRCS is a public health strategy to assist persons in developing behavioral goals to reduce HIV acquisition and transmission. In this intervention, the HIV prevention plan element of CRCS will be the foundation of the C4 intervention. After the initial prevention plan is developed, elements of SDT will be used to implement a client-centered care approach to assist in addressing issues which many arise which impede successful PrEP adherence.

Mobile Vehicle-Based Delivery of Lenacapavir Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in Los Angeles County

This project evaluates the implementation strategy of the delivery of lenacapavir pre-exposure prophylaxis (LEN PrEP) - a newly available long-acting, injectable medication for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention - via a mobile health van model for people who are unstably housed in Los Angeles County (LAC). People who are unhoused or are facing housing instability experience significant barriers to accessing HIV prevention care in traditional clinic settings. In 2022, approximately 13% of newly diagnosed HIV cases in LAC were experiencing homelessness, a 36% increase over the prior period. The study will work with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Health's Homeless Healthcare Collaborative (HHC), which operates mobile health vans staffed by clinicians, social workers, and community health workers, to bring LEN PrEP directly to community settings, such as shelters, encampments, community centers, and transitional housing facilities. This study has three primary aims: 1. Characterize uptake of LEN PrEP among unstably housed people in LAC receiving health services via HHC's mobile program. 2. Evaluate how many study participants stay on LEN PrEP through 52 weeks. 3. Understand costs, acceptability, and sustainability of the mobile LEN PrEP delivery model.

Private-sector Access to Testing for Health Sustainability

New and innovative strategies are urgently needed to increase the uptake of HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health services among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa. To ensure the real-world sustainability of free distribution of HIV self-test kits to AGYW by private drug shops and pharmacies, investigators will rigorously test supply-side subsidy structures for shopkeepers' provision of HIV-self test kits to AGYW combined with prosocial motivational supports. The combination of non-monetary and monetary support structures aims to emulate real-world health financing models for public-private partnerships and ultimately aims to improve equity in access to critical prevention services for AGYW at scale.

Integrating Sexual Pleasure Into Harm Reduction Services for Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Persons Who Engage in Chemsex or Substance Use in Thailand

The study evaluates the integration of a sexual pleasure-based approach into harm reduction services for MSM and transgender persons engaging in chemsex or substance use in Thailand, using the "Pleasuremeter" tool to improve sexual health and related outcomes.

Pre-implementation Study to Develop Trans-tailored Services for Transgender Persons in Relation to chemsEX

The study is a pre-implementation cross-sectional study exploring chemsex behaviors among transgender persons and gathering perspectives from multiple stakeholders to inform the development of transgender-tailored harm reduction services.

The Implementation of a Trans-tailored Harm Reduction Service for Transgender Persons in Relation to chemsEX and Substance Use (iT-REX)

This study evaluates a comprehensive transgender-tailored harm reduction service for transgender women, transgender men, and non-binary individuals engaging in chemsex or substance use in Thailand, focusing on PrEP uptake, HIV/STI outcomes, mental health, and socio-legal impacts.

Host Led Harm Reduction Approach Among Men Who Have Sex With Men Who Engaged in Chemsex in Bangkok, Thailand: A Pre-Implementation Study

This study evaluates the pre-implementation phase of a host-led harm reduction model for men who have sex with men (MSM) engaging in chemsex in Bangkok, Thailand, focusing on understanding harms, contexts, and needs to develop a tailored intervention.

California MEPS Hub

The California Hub for HIV/SUD Prevention Research with Reentry Populations addresses the question: "Can the evidence-based MEPS intervention be adapted and implemented at a range of organizations to effectively serve a wider range of clients?" The Mobile Enhanced Prevention Support (MEPS) intervention was originally implemented in Los Angeles County and was proven successful in promoting biomedical HIV prevention (PrEP) uptake and preventative screenings in people who used drugs who recently left incarceration. MEPS is an evidence-based intervention for people with substance use disorders (SUD) that incorporates a client-centered planning session, including trained peer mentors, service utilization incentives, and a mobile application (GeoPass). The study includes a randomized controlled trial (RCT) across three community partners located in Riverside and Alameda Counties. At least 300 people will be enrolled in these three counties; the first 200 will be randomized to either receive the intervention or usual care, with the final 100 all receiving the intervention. The primary implementation outcome for the study involves using an implementation science framework and assessment tools to examine MEPS's implementation. Key outcomes include how well the implementation strategies used support intervention enrollment and retention, integration with existing services in each partnering community agency, and perceived intervention acceptability, feasibility, appropriateness, and maintenance at 6- and 12-months. The primary effectiveness outcome for the study is an increase in HIV testing, PrEP uptake and adherence, and SUD service utilization at 6 months and 12 months in the MEPS compared to the usual care group. Secondary effectiveness outcomes include frequency of service use for SUDs, hepatitis C virus testing, and linkage to care for those who test positive for HIV or hepatitis C.

Evaluation of mHealth Intervention to Promote HIV Prevention and Overcome Stigma Among Transgender Women (EMPOW.HER)

This study aims to develop and evaluate a multi-component mHealth intervention (mHC and FRESH) to reduce HIV-related and intersectional stigma and improve PrEP use among HIV-negative young transgender women (TGW) in Thailand.

Digital Limited Interaction Efficacy Trial of LifeSkills Mobile to Reduce HIV Incidence in YTW

The LifeSkills Mobile app will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) among 5,000 young transgender women (YTW), ages 16-29 in the United States (U.S.). Study findings will demonstrate if the intervention will reduce HIV incidence.

A Multi-Level Trauma-Informed Approach to Increase HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Initiation Among Black Women

U.S. epidemiological data indicates that Black women are a high-risk HIV disparity group, yet initiation of novel prevention strategies like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among this group is stagnant. Socio-structural challenges like intimate partner violence and gendered racism can constrain PrEP access among Black women, but few implementation studies have mitigated these challenges to improve PrEP initiation. The proposed research aims to implement and assess the effectiveness, implementation, and sustainability of a multilevel intervention to increase PrEP initiation among Black women with and without intimate partner violence in Baltimore.

HIV Self-testing for Partners of HIV-uninfected Postpartum Women

The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility and acceptability of a combination intervention to promote HIV self-testing (HIVST) for Partners and PrEP uptake for HIV-uninfected Postpartum Women ("H4P"). H4P includes evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies, such as communication skills training, motivational interviewing, and problem-solving. The investigators will conduct a randomized pilot trial of the H4P intervention to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a multi-step PrEP uptake and HIV self-test kit intervention for postpartum HIV-uninfected women (N = 60 and their male partners) who report a partner of unknown serostatus, and their partners, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Evaluating an Interactive Digital Toolkit for Women's PrEP Implementation

The goal of this study is to test if a Digital PrEP Toolkit helps cisgender women learn about and access PrEP in Alabama and Mississippi. PrEP is a medication that prevents HIV infection. The main questions it aims to answer are: Can participants complete the Digital PrEP Toolkit in under 10 minutes? Do participants find the Digital PrEP Toolkit useful and easy to use? Does the Digital PrEP Toolkit increase the number of women who start taking PrEP? Investigators will work with up to 125 women at 3 HIV and STI clinics in Alabama and Mississippi. Participants will use the Digital PrEP Toolkit on a tablet at the clinic. They will answer questions about their HIV knowledge before and after using the Toolkit. Participants will then discuss PrEP options with a healthcare staff member and decide if they want to start PrEP. Participants will answer follow-up questions at 3 months. Investigators will also review participants' medical records at 6 months to see if they started PrEP and are still taking it.

HIV Outpatient Monitoring Evaluation Through Self-collection of Dried Blood Spots

The goal of this observational study is to establish an operational framework for home self-collections of blood samples to be used for antiviral drug concentration measurements. Participants will continue on their prescribed antiviral(s) for HIV treatment or prevention and followed for up to approximately 1 year. The investigators will compare drug concentrations of antivirals and relevant metabolites/anabolites in clinic-collected and self-collected blood samples.