CHIPTS 2021 HIV Next Generation Virtual Conference (Recap)

The 2021 HIV Next Generation Conference hosted by CHIPTS welcomed 167 attendees for a day of presentations, discussions, learning and networking. The conference, facilitated by Dallas Swendeman, CHIPTS Development Core Co-Director, welcomed both local and international attendees and participants from community based organizations, post-doctoral fellows, faculty and other partners seeking to end the HIV epidemic. The day also provided a unique opportunity for cross-collaboration and mentorship.

The timely theme of the conference, “Living with Pandemics: Opportunities and Challenges for HIV Prevention and Treatment” was emphasized throughout the conference presentation. Steve Shoptaw, CHIPTS Director, and Norweeta Milburn, CHIPTS Development Core Director, gave opening remarks to lay the groundwork for the day.Judith Currier, gave the very informative opening plenary.

The day’s agenda featured engaging and informative presentations by panels of community members, postdoctoral fellows, and new and emerging investigators. The first panel discussion moderated by Nina Harawa, CHIPTS Policy Impact Core Director and Michael Li, CHIPTS CP Core Scientist, centered on COVID-19 and HIV research. Angela Castillo gave a presentation on promoting access to HIV primary care at Ryan White funded clinics using telehealth. Co-presenters, Alejandro Chavez and Charlie De Lira Zepeda presented on a social media project established to maintain community engagement, retention and recruitment for HIV prevention services as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Joan Christodoulou, Disha Nangia and Elizabeth Shaw highlighted the effectiveness of a simple visual and interactive demonstration on PrEP knowledge and adherence among at risk youth. The concurrent panel, facilitated by Sung-Jae Lee, Methods Core Associate Director and Erik Storholm, CHIPTS CP Core Scientist centered on research around HIV prevention and treatment among MSM. Angel Algarin, PhD, MPH presented on a study that examined the geographical differences in the HIV care cascades among MSM in Mexico. Raiza Beltran and Ashley Schuyler, presented information about the facilitators and barriers to PrEP access and uptake among Black gay and bisexual military men. Chenglin Hong provided information about leveraging geosocial networking platforms for STI and HIV testing among MSM in China.

The final panel set including one panel focusing on programs and interventions for HIV prevention was facilitated by Cathy Reback, CHIPTS Combination Prevention Core Director, and Latoya Small, Policy Impact Core Affiliate had engaging presentations by Joanna Barreras who presented on developing a trust building intervention with law enforcement that will address violence experienced by Latinx transgender women. Jaih Craddock’s presentation examined network level sexual health communication patterns and sexual health behaviors among young Black women. Co-presenters, Austin Nation, Aleiza Ambalada, Jonathan Pelayo and Mathew Trevino provided information on the healthcare and mental health needs of LGBT population in Orange County.

The concurrent panel facilitated by Steve Shoptaw and Wendy Garland, LA County DHSP epidemiologist focused on the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EtHE) Supplement projects awarded to CHIPTS. Elena Rosenberg-Carlson, provided an overview on the regional collaboration among priority counties to increase the impact of HIV care and prevention. Omar Nieto and Dilara Uskup, presented on the technology based PrEP delivery and retention services among priority populations within Los Angeles County, and Oluwadamilola Jolayemi gave a presentation on the acceptability study and recommendations for implementing long acting injectable treatment for HIV in Los Angeles County.

Over the course of the virtual conference, poster presenters provided engaging presentations on innovative research during their interactive breakout poster sessions. See posters below.

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 grass root community engagement to improve health outcomes in communities impacted by HIV were awarded to Sae Takada and Joanna Barreras respectively.

Finally, Norweeta Milburn and Steve Shoptaw 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.

See below for oral and poster presentation PDFs and available recorded presentations.

Download Presentation PDFs

Opening Plenary

Panel 1

Presentation Title: Leveraging Telehealth to Promote Access to HIV Primary Care among Persons Living with HIV in LAC during COVID-19
- Angela Castillo, MA, Research Analyst II, Los Angeles County of Public Health, Division of HIV and STD Programs
Presentation Title: Joteria Mentality: A Social Media Strategy to Clap Back at COVID 19
- Alejandro Chavez, HIV Prevention Supervisor, Project Empowerment Grant (State Office of AIDS), AltaMed Health Services
- Charlie De Lira-Zepeda, HIV Prevention Supervisor, Vulnerable Populations Grant (LA County Department of Health), AltaMed Health Services
Presentation Title: Testing an Educational Visual Aid to Increase Knowledge and Adherence to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) among At-risk Youth during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Joan Christodoulou, PhD, Assistant Professor, Palo Alto University
- Disha Nangia, UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences
- Elizabeth Shaw, Palo Alto University

Panel 2

Presentation Title: Examining geographical differences in the HIV care cascade among men who have sex with men in Mexico
- Angel Algarin, PhD, MPH, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, San Diego

Presentation Title: “That’s kind of like the big struggle right now is can we get PrEP?” Facilitators and barriers to PrEP uptake among active duty gay and bisexual males
- Raiza Beltran, MPH, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, UCLA DSGOM, Division of Infectious Diseases
- Ashley Schuyler, MPH, PhD candidate, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University

Presentation Title: Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing and Associated Factors among Men Who Have Sex with Men in China
- Chenglin Hong, MSW, MPH, PhD candidate, Department of Social Welfare, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

Panel 3

Presentation Title: Justicia Une a Nuestras MujeresTrans y Oficiales de Policías Hacia la Salud (JUNTOS:—“together”) [Justice Unites our Trans Women and Police Officers Toward Health]: A Trust-Building Intervention to Help Address Critical HIV Outcomes
- Joanna Lizbeth Barreras, PhD, MSW, Assistant Professor at CSULB and Associate Director of Research and Evaluation at Bienestar Human Services, Inc, California State University, Long Beach–School of Social Work and Bienestar Human Services, Inc.

Presentation Title: Differences in Sexual Health Communication: The Use of Latent Class Analysis to Inform HIV Intervention Tailoring for Young Black Women
- Jaih Craddock, PhD, MSW, MA, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Social Work

Presentation Title: The State of LGBT Health Care Access In Orange County: Health Care and Mental Health Experiences and Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Populations in Orange County
- Austin Nation, PhD, RN, PHN, Assistant Professor, California State University, Fullerton, School of Nursing
- Aleiza Ambalada, Undergraduate Student Research Assistant, California State University, Fullerton, School of Nursing
- Jonathan Pelayo, Undergraduate Student Research Assistant, California State University, Fullerton, School of Nursing
- Mathew Trevino, BSN, RN, Research Assistant, California State University, Fullerton (Alumni), School of Nursing

Panel 4