Current Research
Trans Wealth: An Economic Justice Intervention for Trans and Nonbinary Persons with HIV
CHRP H25EJ9137
Trans Wealth is a 2-year community-engaged economic justice intervention to develop and rigorously pilot-test a guaranteed income intervention for Trans and Nonbinary persons affected by HIV and poverty. Participants will receive guaranteed financial assistance combined with supportive programming from the Transgender Economic Empowerment Program to set goals, gain financial literacy, engage in educational and/or employment planning, and legal services at the Los Angeles Trans Wellness Center.
Trans Wealth is a collaborative project between researchers and staff at San Diego State University, the LA LGBT Center's Trans Wellness Center, University of California, Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County Poverty Alleviation Initiative.
Trans STAIR: A Gender-Affirming Mental Health Treatment for Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals Affected by Violence and HIV
NIMH R34 MH138228
Trans STAIR Radiant (Relationships And Dynamics - Improving Advocacy for Nonbinary and Trans)
NIMH R01 MH133484
Radiant is a 5-year longitudinal cohort study that will examine the impact of romantic relationships on sexual health outcomes such as HIV risk, sexually transmitted infections, and PrEP use. We also will investigate overall health, mental health, and general well-being among a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of 600 Trans and Nonbinary participants throughout the United States.
Radiant is a collaborative project between researchers and staff at San Diego State University, University of Washington, Drexel University, and the RAND Corporation.
Eros (Empowering Relationships and Opportunities for Safety)
NIMH R01 MH126762
Eros is a 5-year longitudinal cohort study that will examine the impact of romantic relationships on sexual health outcomes such as HIV risk, sexually transmitted infections, and PrEP use. We also will investigate overall health, mental health, and general well-being among a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of 500 sexual minority men throughout the United States.
Eros is a collaborative project between researchers and staff at San Diego State University and the RAND Corporation.
PrEP Well
CHRP H21IS3484
PrEP Well is an intervention funded by a 3-year California HIV/AIDS Research Program Implementation Science Award for Ending the HIV Epidemic in California. The PrEP Well program is a comprehensive implementation strategy that addresses structural barriers to HIV prevention for Trans and Nonbinary persons by integrating culturally appropriate and gender-affirming PrEP care into existing sexual and gender wellness services at the Los Angeles Trans Wellness Center.
PrEP Well is enrolling participants! Please email TWCprepstudy@gmail.com or call (714) 900-2878 if you are interested in participating.
The Texas YBMSM Cohort
NIDA R21 DA053164
The Texas YBMSM cohort will identify modifiable intervention targets that aim to decrease substance use and foster healthier relationships. The cohort also seeks to find ways of enhancing participation in the HIV care journey amidst challenging social and economic circumstances faced by young Black sexual minority men living with HIV in the US South.
Prevention Ambassadors: An HIV Self-testing Intervention to Promote HIV Service Engagement in the Networks of Safe Syringe Program Clients
NIDA R34 DA058389
This project will work to develop and evaluate the “Prevention Ambassadors” (PA) intervention with the goal of promoting HIV testing and engagement in HIV prevention and care services, specifically among people who inject drugs. The project aims to do so via the secondary distribution of HIV self-test kits with local HIV service information and referrals to HIV service navigation in the social networks of safe syringe program clients.
Scaling Equitable, Low-Barrier Harm Reduction Vending Machines for HIV Prevention
CHRP H27TCII1152
Building on our partnership with DAP Health, we will expand their harm reduction vending machine (HRVM) network to three sites to improve equitable distribution of HIV self-test kits to people who use drugs in the Ending the HIV Epidemic jurisdiction of Riverside County. Guided by the PRISM/RE-AIM framework, we will co-create an implementation blueprint, evaluate implementation outcomes across all three machines, and test theory-informed touchscreen "nudges" to increase self-test kit distribution.
PrEP Well-ite: An Innovative Stategy for Scaling Long-Acting PrEP Among SGM Youth Experiencing Homelessness
CHRP H26SB10186
PrEP Well-ite is a 2-year California HIV/AIDS Research Program Social and Behavioral Research Award that will use health-equity implementation science frameworks to adapt and rigorously pilot-test our team’s successful, community-led, multicomponent HIV prevention strategy, PrEP Well, to scale HIV prevention services at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Youth Drop-in Center, which provides housing and programming for highly marginalized sexual and gender minority youth experiencing homelessness. PrEP Well-ite integrates HIV testing, long acting injectable-PrEP, and youth-led harm reduction services with community-led PrEP delivery with peer navigation.