This content originally appeared on FDA Newsroom. View the full article here.

Other FDA-Cleared Condoms Can Continue to Be Used for Contraception and to Prevent STIs

[On February 23], the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the marketing of the first condoms specifically indicated to help reduce transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) during anal intercourse. The condoms, which will be marketed as the One Male Condom, are also indicated as a contraceptive to help reduce the risk of pregnancy and the transmission of STIs during vaginal intercourse.

Before today’s authorization, the FDA had not cleared or approved condoms specifically indicated for anal intercourse. Unprotected anal intercourse carries the greatest sexual exposure risk of HIV transmission. Consistent and correct condom use has the potential to significantly help decrease the risk of STIs. While today’s authorization underscores the public health importance of condoms tested and labeled specifically for anal intercourse, all other FDA-cleared condoms can continue to be used for contraception and STI prevention. It’s important to continue to use condoms consistently and correctly to reduce the risk of STI transmission, including HIV, and to prevent pregnancy.

“The risk of STI transmission during anal intercourse is significantly higher than during vaginal intercourse. The FDA’s authorization of a condom that is specifically indicated, evaluated and labeled for anal intercourse may improve the likelihood of condom use during anal intercourse,” said Courtney Lias, Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Office of GastroRenal, ObGyn, General Hospital, and Urology Devices in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “Furthermore, this authorization helps us accomplish our priority to advance health equity through the development of safe and effective products that meet the needs of diverse populations. This De Novo authorization will also allow subsequent devices of the same type and intended use to come to the market through the 510k pathway, which could enable the devices to get on the market faster.”

The One Male Condom is a natural rubber latex sheath that covers the penis. It has three different versions: standard, thin and fitted. The fitted condoms, available in 54 different sizes, incorporate a paper template to aid in finding the best condom size for each user. When used during anal intercourse, the One Male Condom should be used with a condom-compatible lubricant.

The safety and efficacy of the One Male Condom was studied in a clinical trial comprised of 252 men who have sex with men and 252 men who have sex with women. All participants were between 18 through 54 years old.

The study found that the total condom failure rate was 0.68% for anal intercourse and 1.89% for vaginal intercourse with the One Male Condom. Condom failure rate was defined as the number of slippage, breakage or both slippage and breakage events that occurred over the total number of sex acts performed. For the One Male Condom, the overall percentage of adverse events was 1.92%. Adverse events reported during the clinical trial included symptomatic STI or recent STI diagnosis (0.64%), condom or lubricant-related discomfort (0.85%), partner discomfort with lubricant (0.21%) and partner urinary tract infection (0.21%). The symptomatic STI or recent STI diagnoses observed in the study were self-reported and may be the result of subjects having intercourse without a condom or may have preceded use of the One Male Condom, as STIs were not measured at baseline.

The FDA reviewed the One Male Condom through the De Novo premarket review pathway, a regulatory pathway for low- to moderate-risk devices of a new type. Along with this De Novo authorization, the FDA is establishing criteria called special controls that define the requirements related to labeling and performance testing. When met, the special controls, in combination with general controls, provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness for devices of this type. This action also creates a new regulatory classification, which means that subsequent devices of the same type with the same intended use may go through the FDA’s 510(k) pathway, whereby devices can obtain clearance by demonstrating substantial equivalence to a predicate device.

The FDA granted the marketing authorization to Global Protection Corp.

Related Information

• Evaluation of Automatic Class III Designation (De Novo) Summaries
• HIV.gov

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

This content originally appeared on HIV.gov. View the full article here.

In an HIV.gov video conversation yesterday, NIH’s Dr. Carl Dieffenbach discussed some of the pivotal HIV research advances presented this week at the 2022 virtual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2022). Dr. Dieffenbach, Director of the Division of AIDS at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), covered developments in HIV cure research, HIV treatment and HIV prevention. Watch the conversation with Dr. Dieffenbach:

Here are some highlights from Dr. Dieffenbach’s conversation with HIV.gov:

HIV Cure Research

Dr. Dieffenbach first discussed a person whose HIV is in remission as the result of a stem cell transplant with an HIV-resistant mutation. The case was presented at CROI by Dr. Yvonne Bryson of the University of California, Los Angeles. This is only the third such case of HIV remission and the first in a woman and a person of mixed-race ancestry. The woman was diagnosed with leukemia after having been on treatment for HIV for several years. When she needed a stem cell transplant to treat the cancer, doctors used a combination of cord blood with the HIV-resistant mutation and stem cells from a close relative. About 37 months after the transplant, the woman stopped taking antiretroviral therapy (ART). No HIV has been detected in the woman for 14 months since cessation of ART. Dr. Dieffenbach reflected on the importance of this case, what it might mean for the future, and when and why the terms remission and cure are used. Read the NIAID news release about this study. Read the study abstract on the CROI website .

Very Early Treatment in Infants and the Promise of HIV Remission

Another study Dr. Dieffenbach discussed explored the effects of early intensive ART on achieving HIV remission in infants. The study, presented by Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins University, is following two small cohorts of children who acquired HIV in the womb and began receiving ART within 48 hours of birth. She presented virologic outcomes indicating that most the infants had achieved viral suppression, defined as HIV RNA less than 200 copies/mL, at six months of age. She also presented data on the amount of HIV DNA detected in the children’s cells, which reflected the size of their viral reservoir. Most of the children had no HIV DNA at two years of age. Having a smaller reservoir may make it possible for these children to stop taking ART and still maintain viral suppression. To evaluate this, in the next stage of the study, children who meet strict criteria will stop taking ART and have their HIV RNA levels closely monitored. Dr. Dieffenbach shared why that’s important and why he thinks pediatric studies are critical for HIV cure research. Read the study abstract on the CROI website . View more information on the study on the IMPAACT Network website .

Antibodies: A Possible Treatment Option for Very Young Children with HIV

Reflecting on future directions in HIV treatment, Dr. Dieffenbach discussed a proof-of-concept study on using broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) to treat HIV in children in Botswana. These powerful anti-HIV antibodies can stop a wide variety of HIV strains from infecting human cells in the laboratory. In the study, presented by Dr. Roger Shapiro of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 25 children with HIV between ages 2 and 5 years who had begun ART less than 7 days after birth and had undetectable viral loads were given monthly infusions of two bNAbs. The bNAbs were delivered first in combination with ART, and then later, if the children’s HIV remained undetectable, without ART. Eleven (44%) of the children maintained viral suppression through 24 weeks of bNAb-only treatment, and 14 (56%) had viral rebound before 24 weeks. The infusions were safe and well-tolerated. As Dr. Dieffenbach explained, parents found the bNAb infusions acceptable, with many preferring them to daily ART. He also discussed why he thinks bNAbs will be an important tool in future HIV treatment, prevention, and cure research.  View the abstract on the CROI website.

Additional Data on Long-acting, Injectable Cabotegravir for PrEP

Finally, Dr. Dieffenbach highlighted a study providing additional data about long-acting injectable cabotegravir PrEP. Dr. Raphael Landovitz of the University of California Los Angeles reported data from one year of unblinded follow-up in the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) Study 083  among cisgender men and transgender women who have sex with men. This Phase 2b/3 randomized controlled trial previously demonstrated that a long-acting form of the HIV drug cabotegravir (CAB-LA) injected once every 8 weeks was more effective than daily oral Truvada at preventing HIV acquisition in the study population. At CROI, Dr. Landovitz reported that during the unblinded phase of the trial, the reduction in the risk of HIV acquisition from taking CAB-LA versus daily oral Truvada remained the same as during the blinded phase. Dr. Dieffenbach observed that scaling up available forms of PrEP and other HIV prevention tools will be key factors in achieving the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative. View the study abstract on the CROI website .

About CROI

CROI is an annual scientific meeting that brings together top researchers from around the world to present and discuss the latest studies that can help accelerate global progress in the response to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, including COVID-19. More than 3,000 HIV and infectious disease researchers are gathering virtually this year over two weeks for this forum for translating laboratory and clinical research into progress against these diseases. Among the studies being presented are many that have been conducted or supported by NIH and CDC.

Join us again for another conversation with Dr. Dieffenbach at the conclusion of CROI 2022 next Thursday, February 24, 2022, at 5:15 PM (ET).

The Mark A. Etzel Scholarship was founded in honor of the late Mark A. Etzel, MPP, to provide opportunities and support for early-career HIV scientists or community researchers doing work related to policy impact, structural factors, or implementation science. The 2021 scholarship awardee was Dr. Anne E. Fehrenbacher. Please read more about Dr. Fehrenbacher below.

Anne E. Fehrenbacher, PhD, MPH is a Research Scientist in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences in the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the David Geffen School of Medicine. Dr. Fehrenbacher is a social epidemiologist specializing in biobehavioral HIV prevention with sex workers and sexual and gender minority populations. Dr. Fehrenbacher received her PhD and MPH in Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and her BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Fehrenbacher completed postdoctoral training in HIV Combination Prevention at UCLA and a Fogarty GloCal Fellowship sponsored by the UC Global Health Institute with the Public Health Research Institute of India and Ashodaya Samithi in Mysore, Karnataka.

Dr. Fehrenbacher is the PI for two pilot studies on PrEP acceptability and adherence barriers with more than 400 sex workers across India and Co-PI for a study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods of sex workers in West Bengal. Dr. Fehrenbacher is currently preparing to launch a new study on PrEP implementation science with hard-to-reach populations in India evaluating policy, structural, and organizational barriers to widespread rollout of PrEP. The Mark A. Etzel Scholarship will support Dr. Fehrenbacher’s research to develop scalable, sustainable, and effective PrEP implementation strategies with the ultimate goal of reducing disparities in HIV incidence in India and globally. Dr. Fehrenbacher will use the scholarship funds to cover transcription and translation of stakeholder interviews for this project in India.

Dr. Fehrenbacher’s current research focuses on harnessing technologies to improve PrEP uptake among stigmatized populations in India, particularly transgender sex workers. This scholarship will support Dr. Fehrenbacher’s efforts to build strong academic-community partnerships for implementation science research to improve access to PrEP services for the most socially and economically marginalized populations.

Outside of work, Dr. Fehrenbacher treasures spending time with her pups and experimenting in the kitchen to create her dream food truck menu. She is also an avid cinephile and loves to plan film festivals line-ups to enjoy during her time off.

February 7, 2022 – Today, CHIPTS observes National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), a day dedicated to recognizing the impact of HIV and working to increase HIV education, testing, and treatment in Black communities.

In 2019, Black/African American individuals represented 13% of the population but 40% of people with HIV in the US. Black communities are also disproportionately impacted by new HIV infections, with 41% of all new infections in the US in 2019 occurring among this population. In honor of NBHAAD, CHIPTS is excited to highlight three innovative and impactful research projects focused on preventing HIV and improving health outcomes among individuals with HIV in Black communities. These projects were recently presented at the 2022 CHIPTS HIV Next Generation Conference:

“I Want to See What That’s About”: Black Women’s Insights on Accessing PrEP via a Telehealth App
Drew Mack, BS, Medical Student, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science

Presentation Summary: Black women are disproportionately affected by HIV – our demographic makes up 60% of new infections in American women. With the advent of preventative methods like PrEP, and heightened accessibility to these medications through telemedicine, why aren’t these statistics changing? Through cohort analysis, we analyzed Black women’s perceptions of accessing PrEP via telehealth.

Watch recording: https://youtu.be/ntneb3UUrJs?t=661 

HIV Stigma is Associated with Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life Among Black Sexual Minority Men Living With HIV
Chenglin Hong, MSW, MPH, PhD Candidate, Department of Social Welfare, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

Presentation Summary: I analyzed the baseline data from a randomized control trial of a community-developed, web-based mobile app intervention (the LINX study) that aimed to address the social work and legal needs of Black sexual minority men living with HIV (BSMM+). Results revealed that BSMM+ experience high levels of HIV stigma, and higher levels of HIV stigma were associated with higher mental health distress and lower levels of life satisfaction and quality of life. Reducing HIV stigma and improving good health-related quality of life is imperative to achieve the 4th 90 target among BSMM living with HIV.

Watch recording: https://youtu.be/c_4z-wt1J8g?t=465

Impact of Resilience, Social Support, and Healthcare Empowerment on HIV Care Engagement and Viral Suppression among Young Black Sexual Minority Men with HIV in the US South: Overcoming Social and Structural Barriers
Erik Storholm, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, San Diego State University
Wilson Vincent, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Temple University

Presentation Summary: Informed by Minority Stress Theory and Syndemic Theory, this exploratory analysis of data from a community cohort of 224 Young Black Sexual Minority Men with HIV (YBSMM+) in the US South sought to shed light on the impact of socioeconomic distress, intimate partner violence, depressive symptoms, HIV-related social support, resilience, and healthcare empowerment on HIV care continuum engagement. Findings suggest that interventions that focus on improving HIV care continuum engagement are likely to have success if they focus on increasing levels of healthcare empowerment, sources of resilience, and HIV-related social support.

Watch recording: https://youtu.be/NOJdR_ioWIA?t=1528

Find more information about the impact of HIV in Black communities on the CDC website. NBHAAD also offers an opportunity to review and recommit to the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (2022–2025) to reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities, especially within Black communities.

The 2022 HIV Next Generation Conference hosted by CHIPTS welcomed 200 attendees for a day of presentations, discussions, learning and networking. The conference, facilitated by Dallas Swendeman, CHIPTS Development Core Co-Director, welcomed local attendees and participants from academic institutions, community-based organizations, health care institutions,  and other organizations working to end the HIV epidemic. The day also provided a unique opportunity for cross-collaboration and mentorship.

The timely conference theme, “Resilience and Risk: Changing Paradigms,” was emphasized throughout the day’s program. Steve Shoptaw, CHIPTS Director, and Norweeta Milburn, CHIPTS Development Core Director, gave opening remarks to lay the groundwork for the conference. Gary W. Harper, Professor, Global Public Health, University of Michigan School of Public Health, offered an engaging and informative opening plenary.

The program proceeded with a set of two sessions featuring presentations and panel discussion that occurred concurrently. One session, moderated by Ron Brooks, CHIPTS Combination Prevention Core Scientist, centered on PrEP with Gay and Bisexual Men. Juan C. Jauregui discussed the results from a large global study administered through a gay geosocial networking app to assess sexual practices among gay and bisexual men who have sex with men during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Martin Santillan Jr. highlighted the additional benefits PrEP provides to Latino gay and bisexual men beyond HIV prevention.

The other session, facilitated by Pamina Gorbach, CHIPTS Global HIV Director, centered on HIV and Substance Use. Cherie Blair presented on her project around HIV and methamphetamine. Amanda P. Miller described the prevalence of alcohol use and explored associations between alcohol use and HIV sexual risk among 1,200 pregnant women at risk for HIV infection attending an antenatal clinic in Gugulethu, Cape Town.

A second set of three concurrent sessions followed. This set included a session focused on PrEP with Women that was facilitated by Dvora Joseph Davey, CHIPTS Combination Prevention Core Scientist. Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong and David Adzrago discussed the preferences of Ghanaian immigrant women in the US towards different HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery methods. Drew Mack’s presentation examined how Black women are disproportionately affected by HIV despite the advent of preventative methods like PrEP, and heightened accessibility to these medications through telemedicine. Co-presenters Dilara K. Üsküp and Omar Nieto shared their results from piloting an implementation strategy to raise awareness and uptake of PrEP among Latina cisgender women.

A concurrent session facilitated by David Goodman-Meza, CHIPTS Combination Prevention Core Scientist, focused on People Living with HIV. Karah Greene discussed the development of an online platform to promote social connectedness among older people living with HIV. Chenglin Hong highlighted the web-based mobile app intervention (LINX study) that aimed to address the social work and legal needs of Black sexual minority men living with HIV. Andrea. N. Polonijo provided an engaging presentation that examined sociodemographic differences in attitudes toward payment for research participation, perceptions of study risk based on payment amount, and preferred forms of payment. 

The final session focused on Youth and HIV and was facilitated by Sabrina L. Smiley, CHIPTS Combination Prevention Core Scientist. Roxana Rezai provided an overview of important factors linked to alcohol misuse during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders in a sample of vulnerable youth at-risk for or living with HIV in Los Angeles, CA, and New Orleans, LA. Joshua A. Rusow presented on HIV-risk sexual activities among sexual minority adolescents in the United States. Co-presenters Erik Storholm and Wilson Vincent examined the impact of socioeconomic distress, intimate partner violence, depressive symptoms, HIV-related social support, resilience, and healthcare empowerment on HIV care continuum engagement. 

Over the course of the virtual conference, poster presenters shared their innovative research with attendees during interactive breakout poster sessions. See posters: https://chipts.ucla.edu/news/2022-chipts-hiv-next-generation-conference-resources/

Scholarship awards in honor of William Cunningham, a beloved CHIPTS Core Scientist who embodied the tenets of mentorship and supported the work of new and emerging investigators to address HIV needs and disparities, particularly in under-served communities, and Mark Etzel, a treasured CHIPTS administrator whose work centered around addressing policy and supporting grassroots community engagement to improve health outcomes in communities impacted by HIV, were awarded to Anne E. Fehrenbacher, Cheldy Martinez, and Juan Solis, respectively.

Finally, CHIPTS Co-Director Raphael J. Landovitz gave the closing remarks, reminding attendees of the conference’s purpose and highlighting the need for more interventions to address HIV prevention and treatment needs and gaps during this period of the pandemic and beyond.

See below for oral presentation PDFs and available recorded presentations.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Opening Remarks by:

• Norweeta Milburn, PhD, Director, CHIPTS Development Core
• Steve Shoptaw, PhD, Director, CHIPTS 

Conference Facilitator and Announcements by:

• Dallas Swendeman, PHD, Co-Director, CHIPTS Development Core

Opening Plenary

 

Presentation Title: Promoting Resistance and Resilience for Holistic Health: The Power of LGBTQIA+ Youth

• Gary W. Harper, PhD, MPH, Professor, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Panel 1: PrEP with Gay and Bisexual Men

 

Presentation Title: Correlates of Sexual Contact, COVID Testing, and Comfort Attending Sexual Venues During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Global Sample of Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men - Slides

• Juan C. Jauregui, MSW, MPH, Doctoral Student, Gay Sexuality and Social Policy Initiative, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Los Angeles

Presentation Title: Using PrEP is Being Part of a Larger Movement: Additional Individual and Community Level Benefits of PrEP Use Among Latino Gay and Bisexual Men - Slides

• Martin Santillan Jr., Research Assistant, Bienestar Human Services

Panel 2: HIV and Substance Use

 

Panel Discussant: Pamina M. Gorbach, MHS, DRPH Global HIV Director, CHIPTS Co-Director, UCLA Center for AIDS Research Program on Biobehavioral Epidemiology and Substance Use.

Presentation Title: Sexual Risk Among Pregnant Women at Risk of HIV Infection in Cape Town, South Africa: What Does Alcohol Have to do with it? - Slides

• Amanda P. Miller, PhD, MSc, Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Epidemiology, UCLA

Panel 3: PrEP with Women

 

Presentation Title: Examining Interest in HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Delivery Modalities Among Ghanaian Immigrant Women in the US - Slides

• Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong, MA, MPH, PhD Candidate, Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, University at Buffalo -The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY
• David Adzrago, PhD(C), MSW, MPhil, PhD Candidate, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, School of Public Health, University of Texas, Houston, Texas

Presentation Title: I Want to See What Thats About: Black Womens Insights on Accessing PrEP via a Telehealth App - Slides

• Drew Mack, BSc, Medical Student, Charles Drew University, Urban Health Institute

Presentation Title: Piloting TelePrEP Information Sessions: An Implementation Strategy to Increase PrEP Awareness and Optimize PrEP Uptake Among Latina Cisgender Women - Slides

• Dilara K. Üsküp, PhD, PhD, Assistant Professor (In Progress), UCLA Department of Family Medicine & Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences Department of Internal Medicine
• Omar Nieto, BS, Project Director, UCLA Department of Family Medicine

Panel 4: People Living with HIV

 

Presentation Title: Developing an Online Platform to Improve Social Connections for Older Adults Aging with HIV: Lessons Learned from Multi-site Discussion Groups - Slides

• • Karah Greene, MSW, Research Assistant, ACCESS Lab, University of South Florida, School of Social Work
• Presentation Title: HIV Stigma is Associated with Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life Among Black Sexual Minority Men Living With HIV - Slides
  • Chenglin Hong, MSW, MPH, PhD Candidate, Department of Social Welfare, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
• Presentation Title: N/A
  • Andrea. N. Polonijo, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California, Merced

Panel 5: Youth and HIV

 

Panel Discussant: Sabrina L. Smiley, PhD, MPH, MCHES Core Scientist, CHIPTS Combination Prevention Core, Assistant Professor of Research in Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) of the University of Southern California (USC)

• Presentation Title: Alcohol Misuse During the COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders Among Youth at Risk or Living with HIV: A Study in Los Angeles and New Orleans - Slides
  • Roxana Rezai, MPH, Doctoral Student, Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA and Center for Community Health, Department of Psychiatry, UCLA
• Presentation Title: Violence Experiences are Associated with HIV transmission Risk Over One Year Among a Prospective Sample of Sexual Minority Adolescents in the United States - Slides
  • Joshua A. Rusow, PhD, MSW, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles
• Presentation Title: Impact of Resilience, Social Support, and Healthcare Empowerment on HIV Care Engagement and Viral Suppression among Young Black Sexual Minority Men with HIV in the US South: Overcoming Social and Structural Barriers - Slides
  • Erik Storholm, PhD, Assistant Professor, San Diego State University, School of Public Health
  • Wilson Vincent, PHD, Assistant Professor, Temple University, Department of Psychology

The 2022 CHIPTS HIV Next Generation Virtual Conference is this upcoming Friday, January 28, 2022 from 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM.

The conference is VIRTUAL and FREE to attend.

Please REGISTER if you would like to attend. The conference is organized to support the next generation of HIV researchers and service providers who are working towards an end to HIV/AIDS through networking and sharing visions for future priorities. The theme of this year’s conference is “Resilience and Risk: Changing Paradigms.” The conference will feature oral and poster presentations by faculty, student and emerging researchers from various institutions.

• Download conference program: 2022 Next Generation Conference Program
• Download agenda only: 2022 Next Generation Conference Agenda
• Download oral presentations: 2022 Next Generation Conference Oral Presentations
• Download poster presentations: 2022 Next Generation Conference Poster Presentations
• Download: [Download not found]

CEU credits: Attend the conference, and sign in and out using the form that will be provided to receive credits. The PAETC will follow up post-conference.

The Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center – Los Angeles Area is accredited to provide the following: Continuing LCSW and MFT Education Credit. Courses meet the qualification for a maximum 3.5 hour of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Provider #PCE 128280. Continuing Nursing Education Credit. Course is approved for a maximum of 3.5 contact hour by the California Board of Registered Nursing. Provider #15484.

We invite you to take a look at the poster presentations below which will be featured at the 2022 Next Generation Virtual Conference.

To view a poster, click on the thumbnail to magnify.

Poster Presentation 1

Presenter(s):

• Cherie Blair, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Presentation Title: HIV, Methamphetamine Use, and Pulmonary Hypertension: From Blue Skies to an Integrated Research Agenda

Summary: This project was funded by the 2021 CHIPTS Kickstarter Grant. We will present findings from a joint UCLA/CHIPTS and Stanford symposium to develop a collective research agenda to identify and address the overlapping behavioral, biomedical, and social contexts of HIV, methamphetamine use, and pulmonary hypertension

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster Presentation 2

Presenter(s):

• Ekrem Cetinkaya, MS, Medical Student, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
• Eshani Choksi, BS, Medical Student, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
• Surayya Miller, MBS, Medical Student, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
• Nishawn Rahaman, MS, Medical Student, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
• Krzysztof Zembrzuski, BA, Medical Student, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine

Presentation Title: Risk Factors for HIV Progression Among Males Ages 18-35 in Essex County, New Jersey: A Literature Review

Summary: This presentation summarizes various risk factors that were identified in literature, that affect HIV progression and poor prognosis. We chose the 18-35-year-old male population in Essex County, New Jersey, as we believe that this population specifically faces extensive socioeconomic disadvantages that have contributed to the extremely high prevalence of HIV in this region. We believe that highlighting the risk factors that predispose this population to poorer outcomes is imperative in facilitating change to allocate more resources and attention to individuals in this area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster Presentation 3

Presenter(s):

• Homero E. del Pino, PhD, MS, Associate Professor, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and Research Health Scientist, GRECC (Geriatric Research, Education & Clinical Center), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
• Petra Durán, BA, Clinical Coordinator, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
• Angel Martínez, MS, Volunteer, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
• Edwin Rojas, MPH, Research Assistant, St. John’s Well Child and Family Center

Presentation Title: Engaging the Siblings of Latinx MSM in Promoting PrEP Use

Summary: The siblings of Latinx MSM are an overlooked source of social support in HIV prevention strategies. We will share findings from our community-partnered study that aims to engage siblings in the promotion of PrEP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster Presentation 4

Presenter(s):

• Gabriel G. Edwards, MD, MPH, Assistant Project Scientist, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research
• Carolyn Belton, MHHS, AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Presentation Title: Services for Re-Entry Populations: Community-Focused Development of a Policy Brief

Summary: This presentation describes the process of creating a policy brief on community re-entry services for individuals leaving incarceration. The brief was a collaboration between academics and community members, in response to an ongoing initiative to create policy recommendations around alternatives to incarceration in Los Angeles County.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster Presentation 5

Presenter(s):

• Kevin Frost, Undergraduate Student at University of Southern California, Director of External Affairs at Harm Reduction Los Angeles
• Sid Ganesh, BA, BS, PhD candidate, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences and the Institute for Prevention Research at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Cofounder and Codirector at Harm Reduction Los Angeles
• Tucker Avra, DVM, Medical Student, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Cofounder and Codirector at Harm Reduction Los Angeles

Presentation Title: 1st Annual Harm Reduction in Clinical Praxis CME Conference

Summary: Birthed in the HIV epidemic in the US, Harm Reduction is a social justice movement and a framework for resource allocation that centers intersectional communities most impacted by the racist and anti-immigrant War on Drugs. The 1st Annual Harm Reduction in Clinical Praxis CME Conference was hosted by Harm Reduction Los Angeles in conjunction with the USC CME office at Keck School of Medicine on September 25, 2021, with a focus on offering interventional, institutional, and structural tools specific to improving care and outcomes for people who use drugs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster Presentation 6

Presenter(s):

• Caleb Garcia, BS Candidate, Undergraduate Student, HIV Counseling and Testing Coalition at UCLA

Presentation Title: UCLA’s First Annual Sexual Health and Wellness Fair: Building a Healthier, Safer, & More Sex-Positive Campus

Summary: With the gracious support of the CHIPTS Kick Start Grant, the student-run HIV Counseling and Testing Coalition held its’ inaugural Sexual Health and Wellness Fair. The primary goal of the Fair was to administer free HIV tests and provide client-specific risk-reduction counseling to students, staff, and faculty. Our organization also utilized the Fair as an opportunity to re-introduce ourselves to the campus community as a free and confidential testing, counseling, and educational resource after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster Presentation 7

Presenter(s):

• Bill Le, BA, PrEP Education Specialist, APLA Health
• Ian Klinger, MA, Research Coordinator, APLA Health
• Matt Mutchler, PhD, Principal Investigator, APLA Health

Presentation Title: Innovative Outreach Strategies for a PrEP study during COVID-19

Summary: The poster presentation will discuss how to increase strategies for outreach and recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic to support PrEP uptake between YBMSM and their close friends. As time has progressed and mandated shutdowns and “stay at home orders” in Los Angeles County have been lifted or lessened, in-person events have slowly started reappearing. This has led to us developing a new hybrid strategy which we are currently working to employ to reach our target population during these challenging times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster Presentation 8

Presenter(s):

• Charles McWells, BA, HIV Prevention Services Manager, Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Instructor, Community Faculty at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science

Presentation Title: Velvet Jesus: An Edu-tainment Model for Behavioral Change Among At-Risk LGBTQ Adults of Color

Summary: “Educational Entertainment” (or “Edu-tainment”) is an evidence-based model that uses film, television, theatre or other forms of performance art to convey health-empowerment messages.  In this project, Black and Latinx LGBTQ adults participated in screenings of a motion picture that focused on homophobia, childhood trauma, mental health disorders, and HIV/AIDS.  Following the screenings, audience members discussed how their shared experiences mirrored the film plot, and developed alternative plot-lines in which the characters made healthier behavioral choices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster Presentation 9

Presenter(s):

• Dianna Polanco, BA, Research Coordinator, UCLA Semel Institute Center for Community Health

Presentation Title: Do Chatbots Have a Place in Adolescent HIV Research? A Qualitative Study in Los Angeles and New Orleans

Summary: The purpose of this abstract is to assess usability chatbots in research. Focus groups were held to discuss the pros and cons of using chatbots in research studies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster Presentation 10

Presenter(s):

• Rebecca Ruiz, BS, HIV Project Empowerment Trainer, AltaMed Health Services

Presentation Title: Virtual Training Significantly Increases Primary Care Providers’ PrEP Knowledge

Summary: Several studies have shown that a lack of knowledge among primary care providers (PCPs) about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can be a barrier to HIV preventative care; when PCPs increase their knowledge about PrEP, they are more likely to initiate discussions about PrEP and prescribe it to their patients. We developed and conducted trainings among PCPs within a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) to increase provider comfort/willingness with prescribing PrEP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster Presentation 11

Presenter(s):

• Jimena Sandoval, BA, Case Manager, Bienestar Human Services, Inc.
• Ricardo Mendoza Lepe, PhD, Field Specialist and Research Coordinator, Bienestar Human Services, Inc.
• Ronald Brooks, PhD, Assistant Professor at Department of Family Medicine at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, and he is also Director of Research and Evaluation at Bienestar Human Services, Inc.
• Brendan O’Connell, MSW, Chief Operating Officer, Bienestar Human Services, Inc.

Presentation Title: Homeless not hopeless: The impact of support systems in improving the quality of life of transgender people of color experiencing homelessness

Summary: Identifying the impact that social support connections, specifically from family members, have on trans people of color in facing risk situations and preventing future risk factors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This content originally appeared on the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease website. View the full article here.

NIH Celebrates FDA Approval of Long-Acting Injectable Drug for HIV Prevention

Approval Marks Pivotal Expansion of HIV Prevention Options in the United States

December 20, 2021 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its first approval of a long-acting HIV prevention medication. Developed by ViiV Healthcare, the medicine is long-acting cabotegravir injected once every two months. FDA has approved the medicine for use by adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kilograms who are at risk of sexually acquiring HIV. This milestone marks a vital expansion of biomedical HIV prevention options available to people in the United States. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, thanks and congratulates everyone who led, conducted and participated in the research that led to this important development.

An estimated 34,800 people in the United States acquired HIV in 2019, the most recent year for which data are available. Men who have sex with men, transgender women who have sex with men, and Black cisgender women are among those disproportionately affected by HIV in this country.

Until today, the only FDA-licensed medications for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) were daily oral pills containing the HIV drugs tenofovir and emtricitabine. These medications are highly effective at preventing HIV when taken daily as prescribed. However, taking a pill daily while feeling healthy can be challenging. Long-acting injectable cabotegravir PrEP is a less frequent, more discreet HIV prevention option that may be more desirable for some people.

The FDA approval is based on data primarily from two NIH-supported clinical trials, HPTN 083 and HPTN 084. Both trials compared the safety and effectiveness of a PrEP regimen containing long-acting injectable cabotegravir with a regimen of daily oral PrEP. HPTN 083 enrolled more than 4,500 cisgender men who have sex with men and transgender women who have sex with men in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. HPTN 084 enrolled more than 3,200 cisgender women in Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The two trials found that both HIV prevention methods were safe and highly effective, but injectable cabotegravir was more effective than daily oral PrEP at preventing HIV acquisition.

The HPTN 083 and HPTN 084 trials were sponsored by NIAID and conducted by the NIH-funded HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN). NIAID and ViiV Healthcare co-funded both trials; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also supported HPTN 084. HPTN is co-funded by NIAID, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, all part of NIH.

This content originally appeared on HIV.gov. View the full article here.

Harold Phillips, Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), recently spoke with HIV.gov about the 2021 World AIDS Day and release of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).

Harold discussed the process of drafting NHAS and provided an overview of the Strategy. Watch the conversation here.

He shared the Administration’s “whole-of-society” approach to updating NHAS: “…public health plays a really key and important role, but we know how important social determinants of health are. We also know how important partnerships and collaborations with community, faith-based, private sector partners are in this effort. And this plan includes strategies and approaches that can be used by those entities as well.”

Harold also reviewed modifications added to NHAS, including:

• Increased focus on substance use disorders.
• Community and clinical behavioral health models.
• Harm reduction approaches that intersect with STIs, viral hepatitis, and HIV.
• A greater emphasis on strategies for people aging with HIV.

He also spoke about how the Administration plans to implement the Strategy: “We’ll be looking at the issue of HIV criminalization and how to help states and localities address those laws and policies that really get in the way and create discriminatory actions, as well as stigmatizing people living with HIV.”

Please follow the HIV.gov blog for more conversations with Harold Phillips. Read more about the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.