Category Archives: Past Events

November 19th, 2019- Over 150 community providers, members, educators, policy makers, and stakeholders joined us at St. Anne’s for the conference, “Addressing Medical Mistrust in Black Communities: Implications for HIV and other conditions.”

The objectives of this conference were to:

• Improve understanding of the historical foundations of medical mistrust in Black communities.
• Describe the effects of medical mistrust on health care behaviors, HIV and other health outcomes in Black communities.
• Discuss clinic and system level changes that foster patient trust.
• Provide attendees with skills and resources to interact with patients and caregivers in a manner that encourages healthcare engagement and improve health outcomes.

Speakers and panelists from both the community and HIV-focused health fields addressed these objectives and discussed strategies for strengthening patient-provider relationships and improving health outcomes.

Dr.  Nina Harawa, Director of the UCLA CHIPTS Policy Core and Dr. Patrick Dowling, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine opened the morning with remarks laying the groundwork for the conference.  Powerful presentations were given on trustworthiness, medical discrimination, and social-structural influences in Black/African American communities by Dr. Marino Bruce (the event’s Keynote Speaker), Dr. Laura Bogart of the RAND Corporation, and Dr. Alicia Bonaparte from Pitzer College. A panel discussion featuring community members and providers followed, highlighting

experiences of medical mistrust in clinical care and the necessary recommendations for improvement. To facilitate further engagement on the discussed issues, conference participants were broken into small groups, and asked to analyze a range of topics from medication uptake and adherence, to molecular HIV surveillance/partner notification/STI contact tracing. Feedback from these breakout sessions was shared, relayed, and documented. The day concluded with a presentation by Ace Robinson from Avielle Foundation on creating inclusive clinical care. Closing remarks were given by Ricky Rosales from the LA County AIDS Coordinator’s Office and Dr. Steve Shoptaw, Director of UCLA CHIPTS.

 

The meeting agenda, speaker bios, reference list, and presentation slides are available for download below. Videos of each presenter are available on our YouTube channel, and linked at the bottom of this page. Visit the CHIPTS Facebook page for a mini gallery of the event.

See the presentations below.

Addressing Medical Mistrust in Black Communities - Agenda

 

Addressing Medical Mistrust in Black Communities - Speak Bios

 

Addressing Medical Mistrust in Black Communities - Reference List

 

Trustworthiness: A Principle for Processes, Practices, and Partnerships to Improve Health among Disadvantaged and Disenfranchised Populations - Slides

 

Medical Mistrust, Discrimination, and HIV in Black/African American Communities - Slides

 

Should I Trust my Provider? Socio-structural Influences in African American Women's Maternal Health Experiences - Slides

November 14th, 2019- The theme of this year’s Annual Commission meeting was, “Renewed Opportunities & Collaborations in Times of Urgency to End the HIV Epidemic.” Stakeholders from the region presented upcoming initiatives to end the epidemic, highlighting specific projects funded by the NIH in response to the official state of emergency declared by the national government. Presentations were given by Mario Perez of the Division of HIV and STD Programs (DHSP), Britt Skaathun from the UCSD School of Medicine, Marisa Ramos from the California Department of Public Health, CDR Michelle Sandoval- Rosario from PACE Region 9, and LCDR Jose Antonio Oritz also from PACE Region 9. Raphael Landovitz from UCLA’s Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatments Service (CHIPTS) also presented, noting overviews of the center’s three key initiatives:

1. Regional Response to HIV Eradication Efforts in Southern CA Counties
   Project leads: Steven Shoptaw, PhD, and Uyen Kao, MPH
   EtHE pillar: Respond
   Goal: To identify the infrastructure, resources, and capacity building needs to support regional coordination among LAC and other CA counties.
2. Use of technology-based pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services to improve uptake, adherence, and persistence among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) and young transgender (YTG) persons of color
   Project leads: Ronald A. Brooks, PhD and Dilara Uskup, PhD
   EtHE pillar: Protect
   Goal: To assess how technology-based delivery systems can potentially enhance PrEP uptake, adherence, and persistence among key populations for LAC.
3.  Preparing for long-acting injectable treatment for HIV in Los Angeles
   Project leads: Raphael Landovitz, MD, MSc and David Goodman-Meza, MD
   EtHE pillar: Treat
   Goal: To understand the barriers to and facilitators of successful implementation of long-acting injectable (LAI) antiretroviral therapy (ART) as part of a strategy to optimize viral suppression for LAC.

Public health leaders and community partners further shared insights and perspectives on how to end the HIV epidemic, including Barbara Ferrer and Jeffrey Gunzenhauser of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and Louise McCarthy from Community Clinics Association of Los Angeles County. The meeting concluded with breakout sessions dedicated to creating an effective and responsive community planning structure.

Information provided in the meeting’s packet (including agenda, speaker bios,and presentation summary) alongside presentation slides are available for download below. Videos of each presenter are available on our YouTube channel, and linked at the bottom of this page. Check out our mini gallery from the meeting on our CHIPTS Facebook page.

 

 

See below for presentation materials.

2019 Annual Commission Meeting - Agenda

 

2019 Annual Commission Meeting - Program

 

2019 Annual Commission Meeting - Slides

 

CHIPTS recently presented at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo in Philadelphia, PA from November 2nd-6th, 2019. The APHA Annual Meeting and Expo is where public health professionals convene, learn, network and engage with peers. The conference aims to strengthen the profession of public health, share the latest research and information, promote best practices and advocate for public health issues and policies grounded in research. This year’s theme was, “Creating the Healthiest Nation: For science. For action. For health.”

The CHIPTS community was well represented at the event. Please check out our Facebook page and view our photo gallery here to view some captured highlights!

CHIPTS welcomed our newly elected CHIPTS Community Advisory Board Co-Chairs, Dahlia Ferlito and Chassity Griffin, to the position on Friday, October 18th, 2019 for the 2019-2020 year. Dahlia, who was re-elected for a third term, and Chassity both have a great wealth of experience and vision that will direct the CAB in reaching its full potential. The CHIPTS CAB has long been a place of collaboration and discussion between our researchers and the communities affected by HIV. The goal of this advisory group is to ensure the research, dissemination, and activities conducted by CHIPTS researchers are relevant and meaningful to the lives of the diverse communities we serve.

Dahlia and Chassity each shared their thoughts on leading this board together for the upcoming year:

Dahlia hopes to continue building synergy within the CAB and to develop projects that bring about change for people affected by HIV in Los Angeles and beyond. With the CAB being an active team of members possessing a tremendous amount of expertise in various content areas, she is excited for the possibilities in harnessing the Board’s collective power to support research initiatives and translate knowledge acquired through research to communities in an accessible and meaningful way.

Chassity echoed similar sentiments. She has a set the primary intention to lead the CAB in their efforts to continue driving meaningful activities serving communities affected by HIV. To this end, her goal is to facilitate a space where the CAB can translate their ideas into supporting the development of research at CHIPTS, and also translate those ideas into initiatives that will have the greatest impact for the populations being served. Lastly, Chasity aims to collaboratively work with Dahlia, encouraging the CAB to bring value based contributions that will ultimately help improve the lives and health outcomes of at-risk and affected populations.

Both Co-Chairs are looking forward to continue guiding the CAB in a progressive direction, helping to create awareness, provide feedback to investigators, and effectively disseminate research information to target communities.

We are so excited to have them on board this year!

May 22, 2019 – Over 170 community providers, educators, policy makers, and stakeholders joined us at St. Anne’s for a training on HIV and methamphetamine in Los Angeles County. Dr. Steve Shoptaw, Director of UCLA CHIPTS and Dr. Ian Holloway of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs opened the morning with remarks laying the groundwork for the training. The day’s agenda included presentations from Drs. Steve Shoptaw, Cathy Reback from Friends Research Institute, Ekow Sey from LAC Division of HIV and STD Programs, and Lello Tesema of LAC Substance Abuse Prevention and Control , highlighting the trends and depth of the Meth Crisis within Los Angeles county. The event concluded with a panel discussion on methamphetamine and stimulant use in special populations.

The meeting agenda, speaker bios, and presentation slides are available for download below. A full video of the training is linked at the bottom of this page. Visit the CHIPTS Facebook page for a mini gallery of the event.

HIV and Meth in LA County: The Crisis Continues - Agenda HIV and Meth in LA County: The Crisis Continues - Speaker Bios

 

See the presentations below.

HIV and Methamphetamine in LAC and Nationally: The Crisis Continues - Slides
Steve Shoptaw, CHIPTS

Methamphetamine and Other Substance Use Trends among Street-and Venue-recruited MSM from 1999 to 2018 - Slides
Cathy Reback, Friends Research Institute

Trends in Methamphetamine use among at risk populations in Los Angeles County - Slides
Ekow Sey, LAC Division of HIV and STD Programs

Methamphetamine in Los Angeles County: A Public Health Response - Slides
Lello Tesema, LAC Substance Abuse Prevention and Control

 

 

April 30, 2019 – Ryan Cook, PhD from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology joined us for a one-hour introductory workshop on the use of inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) for control of confounding in observational studies.

During the course of the workshop, Dr. Cook described IPTW, its usefulness, mechanism and application in various areas of research.

The full presentation is available below for download.

Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting for Control of Confounding - Slides Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting for Control of Confounding - Flyer

April 5, 2019 – Members of the CHIPTS Community Advisory Board (CAB) 2018-2019 cohort gathered for the first annual CHIPTS CAB Retreat to discuss and prioritize community needs and develop research ideas that will be implementable and actionable within the community.

CAB members came up with three top priority research areas for CHIPTS to focus on in the upcoming year.Members of CHIPTS faculty joined the meeting to discuss these community priorities, provide feedback and identify specific research areas for future initiatives in collaboration with members of our CAB.

CHIPTS is glad to have hosted a productive and collaborative day that was inspirational to all attendees. The center is eager to implement these ideas in collaboration with the CAB as actionable initiatives in the near future.

View the event gallery on our Facebook page.

 

 

March 7th, 2019 – Researchers from UCLA, The RAND Corporation, The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Charles R. Drew University, Harvard Medical School, Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Stellenbosch University, and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation gathered at the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center for a learning session on “HIV Exposed Children and Early Childhood Development.”

Laurie Bruns created an in-depth, insightful report on the learning session including overviews of all presentations, participant input, and specific discussion points that were brought up throughout the day. You can download her report here:  Early Child Development - HIV Exposed Children Learning Session Final Report

Co-Chairs Thomas Coates from UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and Lisa Bohmer from the Hilton Foundation opened up the day and welcomed the diverse group to the learning session. Lisa Bohmer followed with a presentation on “The Nurturing Care Framework and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Initiative for Young Children Affected by HIV and AIDS” and had a great discussion in the room on this approach.

The day continued with presentations from Amy Slogrove and Kathleen Powis, Catherine Sandhofer, and Kate Dovel and Laurie Bruns. You can find their full presentations as well as the agenda, information packet, and attendee list available for download below.

Download Links

• Learning Seminar: HIV Exposed Children and Early Childhood Development - Information Packet
• Learning Seminar: HIV Exposed Children and Early Childhood Development - Agenda
• [Download not found]

Agenda

Opening Remarks and introductions
Thomas J. Coates, PhD and Lisa Bohmer, MPH

Young Children Affected by HIV and AIDS Initiative and Nurturing Care Framework (WHO) - Slides
Lisa Bohmer, MPH

The Evolving Epidemiology of HIV Exposed Uninfected Children - Slides
Katherine Powis, MD, MBA and Amy Slogrove MD, PhD

Parent-Child Interactions and Child Development - Slides
Catherine Sandhofer, PhD

UCLA’s integration of early childhood development training into ART delivery in Malawi
Kate Dovel PhD and Laurie Bruns MSc MPH

Additional Insights from maternal mental health, stigma, and substance abuse; experiences of trauma and disaster; reproductive health and birth spacing; other health issues of infants and children in low and middle income countries

Commentary from implementers Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation; Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation; Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS

Recommendations for Research, Policy, and Program Implementation

Closing Remarks
Thomas J. Coates, PhD and Lisa Bohmer, MPH

March 12, 2019 – We invited Bethany Myers for an extremely informative and helpful guest lecture on “Tips and Strategies for Effective Literature Searches” which was attended by forty seven people in person and via teleconference. Her lecture included tips on how to use database searches thoroughly including Pubmed and EMBASE and covered specific aspects of these platforms such as MeSH terms. She also shared how to better implement references utlizing Endnote & Zotero, and more. You can download her full presentation below.

Tips and Strategies for Effective Literature Searching - Slides

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