America's increasing HIV epidemic among youth aged 12-24 and the concurrent failure to identify, link to care, and achieve viral suppression among youth living with HIV (YLH) suggests the need to identify novel community-based strategies to leverage gateways and settings where high risk and infected youth can be engaged in HIV prevention and treatment. Scientific successes reducing HIV viral reservoirs among acutely infected infants, stopping HIV transmission from HIV-infected adults with undetectable viral loads, and documenting the efficacy of Treatment as Prevention suggest strategies to reduce the trend of increasing adolescent HIV infections.
This U19 will evaluate the usefulness of these advances for youth aged 12-24 at the highest risk of acquiring HIV- gay, bisexual, transgender youth and homeless youth – as well as YLH in two HIV epicenters (Los Angeles and New Orleans).
CARES includes two Cores:
- Management Core (led by Mary Jane Rotheram)
The Management Core is responsible for leadership and networking; communication and problem resolution; administration; and, implementation of the Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention Centers (RERC) in Los Angeles and New Orleans that identify, recruit and retain all participants and samples for the CARES studies. The Management Core establishes the goals, timelines, monitors deliverables, sets strategies for quality improvement over time, training, and coordination of teams over time.
- Analytic Core (led by Scott Comulada)
The Analytic Core provides methodological and statistical support across the CARES studies from inception to completion, including study design development, data collection, and analysis. The Analytic Core provides a range of technological, biomedical, and behavioral research expertise including fitting complex multilevel models to HIV data with both behavioral and biomarker outcomes, implementation science and cost-effectiveness. The Analytic Core is also responsible for data management, monitoring, security and dissemination. The Analytic Core has expertise in cost effectiveness and cost-utility analyses, as well as substantial experience with interventions mounted on social media sites, and using mobile and computerized interventions.
Website: https://www.atncares.org/