Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Promoting linkage to PrEP after HIV self-testing through a peer-led intervention for MSM

Award Number: K23MH131468
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/05/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2028

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Promoting linkage to PrEP after HIV self-testing through a peer-led intervention for MSM - Project Summary Ending the HIV epidemic will require novel strategies to expand the HIV prevention continuum among men who have sex with men (MSM), who are disproportionately affected by HIV. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for remote care approaches such as HIV self-testing (HIVST) to sustain access to HIV services. However, the benefits of self-testing are limited if they do not spur behavioral change or linkage to care, yet only 1 in 10 MSM who self-test obtain preventive care afterwards, and the majority of MSM with indications for PrEP have never used it. Interventions to support linkage from HIVST, the first key step in the HIV “status neutral” continuum, are needed. To maximize the impact of HIVST, linkage to care is a critical practice gap that needs to be addressed, a gap that can potentially be bridged by a peer intervention to support linkage and PrEP uptake. To expand the HIV prevention continuum among MSM, this research will leverage HIVST and evaluate a peer-led intervention to support engagement in care and PrEP uptake through peer linkage after self-testing. The overall goal of this career development award is to provide Dr. Cedric Bien- Gund with the necessary research skills to become an independent clinician-investigator in the development, evaluation, and implementation of behavioral interventions to prevent HIV infections. To achieve this goal, we have assembled a mentoring team and proposed a rigorous training plan to develop his skills in 1) mixed methods for behavioral interventions, 2) intervention design and mapping for implementation, and 3) advanced clinical trial design, including implementation science designs. These training objectives complement a research plan to develop and pilot a behavioral intervention to increase linkage to PrEP among MSM through integration of HIVST distribution and peer-led linkage to PrEP. The specific aims are: 1) identify barriers and facilitators to PrEP linkage after HIV self-testing among MSM, 2) develop a peer-led linkage intervention for HIVST, and 3) test the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of the intervention on PrEP linkage and uptake among MSM by conducting a pilot randomized controlled trial. This project will leverage an ongoing collaboration with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to expand HIVST and PrEP uptake. The proposed research addresses the first steps in the HIV prevention continuum and will support Dr. Bien-Gund's goal of becoming an independent investigator with expertise in behavioral interventions to end the HIV epidemic. This research will provide preliminary data for an R01 application to test the intervention in a hybrid type I effectiveness-implementation trial, with the goal of optimizing the impact of HIVST by closing the linkage gap after testing.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $194,618 )
2026	2026	TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE	3451 WALNUT ST	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19104	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	4	3/26/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$194,618
														Subtotal = $194,618

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $194,475 )
2025	2025	TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE	3451 WALNUT ST STE 440A	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19104	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	3/21/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$194,475
														Subtotal = $194,475

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $194,939 )
2024	2024	TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE	3451 WALNUT ST STE 440A	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19104	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	3/18/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$194,939
														Subtotal = $194,939

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $194,391 )
2023	2023	TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE	3451 WALNUT ST STE 440A	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19104	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	4/3/2023	NEW	$194,391
														Subtotal = $194,391

Grand Total All Awards = $778,423

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Promoting linkage to PrEP after HIV self-testing through a peer-led intervention for MSM

Award Number: K23MH131468

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/05/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2028

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer