Lisa Eaton
University of Connecticut, CT·Public Health & Epidemiology
HIV infection rates among Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) in the southeastern U.S. are among the highest in the world.
- Fields
Public Health & Epidemiology
Psychology
Medicine & Clinical Research
- Topics
HIV prevention
pre-exposure prophylaxis
PrEP
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Mar 2027
What they work on
- Enroll 500 HIV-negative Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) who test positive for substance use, and give evidence-based counseling to help them access PrEP, a daily HIV-prevention medicine.
- Track stigma, mental and social factors, and health care access every 2 months for 18 months, with HIV/STI testing and dried blood spot TFV-DP measurement of PrEP use every 3 months.
- Model how stigma pathways move men forward or backward along the PrEP cascade, testing whether health care access carries these effects and whether substance use changes them.
More about the research
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily medicine that prevents HIV, works very well, but few BMSM take it. In the team's Atlanta studies, HIV prevalence was 35% and annual new infections exceeded 5%. Although 90% of men knew about PrEP, only 4% were taking it. Substance use was common, and men who used substances were more than twice as likely to test HIV positive. COVID-19 has added further strain on health care access.
Why it matters
Learning how stigma and substance use keep Black men who have sex with men from starting and staying on PrEP could guide stronger, longer-lasting HIV prevention programs for a group facing very high HIV rates in the southern U.S. It may show where clinics and programs should step in to help men stay on PrEP.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Kiyomi Tsuyuki
University of California-San Diego, CA·Public Health & Epidemiology
Evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of CHAMPION, which combines the PrEPAPP app with CBT4CBT computer-based cognitive behavioral therapy, among 100 HIV-negative meth-using MSM, measured by retention and engagement against a waitlist control.
Karen Johnson
University of Georgia, GA·Public Health & Epidemiology
Test in a randomized controlled trial whether E-WORTH South increases PrEP uptake and reduces condomless vaginal and anal sex acts at 6 months among 230 women aged 18–65 under non-carceral correctional supervision in two Alabama counties.
Jason Zucker
Columbia University, NY·Medicine & Clinical Research
Identify factors that predict engagement in Doxy-PEP care and effective use, following 300 users and 200 eligible non-users over time with measures based on the information–motivation–behavioral skills model.
The school
University of Connecticut: 31 labs on PI Pages, $434M a year on research, 360 research doctorates a year.
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