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The Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center (ETAC) at UCSF will provide leadership and support to demonstration sites implementing interventions to enhance HIV testing and diagnosis among out-of-care Latina/os, and to link and retain these populations in high quality HIV care. Over the course of the five year Initiative, the ETAC will:

1. provide technical assistance (TA) to the demonstration sites regarding the development of innovative models for providing HIV and support services, as well as TA regarding methodological (both quantitative and qualitative) research design;
2. conduct a rigorous multi-site evaluation of the implementation and outcomes of all interventions and the multi-site cohort as a whole; and
3. lead and coordinate the efforts for publication and dissemination of findings and lessons learned from the Initiative.
    

 

 

This is a three-phase study to identify the specific mechanisms by which MSM stigma affect sexual risk behaviors among MSM in Beijing, China.

• In Phase 1, we will explore the range of management strategies used to cope with MSM stigma via 30 in-depth qualitative interviews with MSM.
• In Phase 2, we will develop, using Phase 1 qualitative data and adapting existing quantitative scales, culturally-relevant measures of explanatory constructs of interest (e.g., MSM stigma management) to establish reliability and validity (N=170).
• In Phase 3, we will examine potential mediators (e.g., stigma management strategies, psychological distress, sexual contexts/situations) that explain how MSM stigma are linked to sexual risk for HIV with a respondent-driven sample of 500 MSM who will complete baseline and two follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months.

We will also conduct 20 in-depth qualitative individual interviews with a subset of men selected from the Phase-3 participants to examine the acceptability of potential intervention components to address the link between MSM stigma and HIV risk.

The overall goal of this study is to enhance the physical and mental health of rural Indian women living with AIDS and their children. We will achieve these goals through the use of trained village women as Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) to enhance the health of women and children through improved ART adherence, CD4 levels, and physical and mental health. This Indo-US collaboration between University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, San Francisco and All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) builds on our previous work with rural women living with AIDS and our successful ASHA program. Specific objectives include: Using a 2x2 factorial design, we plan to assess the effects of nutrition training and/or food supplements on primary outcomes for rural women living with AIDS in improving body composition and immune status (CD4 levels) as assessed at 6-, 12- and 18-month follow-up. Examining the effects of the program arms and their interaction on adherence to ART, psychological health, nutritional adequacy, and lipid profile over time.

The TETAC provides the HRSA Enhancing Engagement and Retention in Quality HIV Care for Transgender Women of Color initiative with expert leadership in the multi-site evaluation and dissemination of findings and technical assistance (TA) and capacity building to improve the timely entry, engagement, and retention in HIV primary care for transwomen of color. The project is guided by four primary goals:

• Goal 1 (Evaluation) To provide support to the demonstration sites as they design and implement their site-specific evaluation plans, and to conduct rigorous, cross-site evaluation research that will make a significant contribution to improving the timely entry, engagement, and retention (from the cascade of care model) in quality HIV primary care for transwomen of color.
• Goal 2 (TA) To provide TA tailored to the specific needs of each demonstration site through teleconferences, a website, webinars, site visits, and meetings in a variety of domains including (1) program development, implementation, and sustainability; (2) clinical consultation; (3) multi-site and location evaluation; (4) human research protection; (5) IRBs; and (6) intervention manuals.
• Goal 3 (Capacity Building) To provide capacity building assistance (CBA) relating to the provision of quality clinical and culturally competent HIV primary care and social services to transwomen of color.
• Goal 4 (Dissemination) To synthesize and disseminate findings from demonstration projects to optimize impact on the timely entry, engagement, and retention in quality HIV primary care for transwomen of color.

The principal objective of the International Core at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) is to facilitate high quality international research by creating effective and productive partnerships between CAPS scientists and HIV prevention researchers from developing countries. The International Core brings together CAPS scientists and alumni of the Collaborative Prevention Research in Developing Countries Program, a training program for new developing country researchers (described below). CAPS has successfully developed a broad portfolio of small-scale international research projects conducted by CAPS scientists and Program alumni. Together we have made important contributions toward understanding how to prevent HIV transmission and how to care for the HIV-infected in the developing world.