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AI-supported implementation strategies for youth engagement in PrEP care

Award Number: R01HD124954
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/17/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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AI-supported implementation strategies for youth engagement in PrEP care - ABSTRACT Adolescents and young adults aged 13-24 years in the United States (US) (“youth”) are disproportionately impacted by HIV and have extremely low uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) despite the availability of safe and highly effective prevention options, including daily oral and long-acting injectable modalities. Barriers to PrEP initiation include low awareness and perceived risk, uncertainty in selecting among PrEP options, and challenges navigating eligibility and benefits systems. Existing implementation strategies are insufficient, highlighting the need for more efficient, personalized approaches to support youth engagement in PrEP services. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a promising avenue to enhance implementation through tailored connection, decision support, and navigation; however, AI approaches remain underdeveloped and have not been systematically optimized or rigorously evaluated in clinical settings. This project will develop and optimize a multicomponent AI-supported implementation strategy to improve youth engagement in PrEP care. The strategy includes three modular components: 1) AI PrEP Connect to deliver personalized motivational messages; 2) AI PrEP Choice to support PrEP modality selection; and 3) AI PrEP Navigation to assist with eligibility assessment and benefits enrollment. These components will be integrated into the HealthMPowerment digital platform. Using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) framework, we will identify the optimal combination of these components in a hybrid type 3 optimization randomized controlled trial, conducted in collaboration with four clinic consortia from the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV Interventions. In Aim 1, we will use rapid, human-centered design methods to develop and refine each evidence-informed component, including by conducting co-design workshops and two rounds of usability testing. In Aim 2, we will enroll 400 youth in a 23 individually randomized factorial trial to test the independent and combined effects of the three components that are either delivered (“on”) or not (“off”). Youth engagement in PrEP care (adoption) will serve our primary outcome. We will also assess secondary implementation outcomes (e.g., provider adoption, acceptability) and effectiveness outcomes (PrEP initiation, adherence, and persistence). Findings will be supplemented with qualitative data, and we will use a decision-making framework to select the optimized bundle of AI-supported implementation strategies. In Aim 3, we will identify determinants of dissemination and co-develop strategies to support scale-up beyond trial sites using qualitative methods and dissemination workshops. This project will generate the first empirically optimized AI-supported implementation strategy bundle to improve youth engagement in PrEP care, addressing a critical gap in HIV prevention. The resulting evidence and dissemination tools will support sustainability and scalability across youth-serving health systems. This study directly advances NIH priorities to end the HIV epidemic in the US using innovative technologies and implementation science.


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 = $1,961,931 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS	809 S MARSHFIELD AVE M/C 551	CHICAGO	IL	60612	COOK	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	9/17/2026	NEW	$1,961,931
														Subtotal = $1,961,931

Grand Total All Awards = $1,961,931

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AI-supported implementation strategies for youth engagement in PrEP care

Award Number: R01HD124954

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/17/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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