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Tucker JD, Iwelunmor J, Abrams E, Donenberg G, Wilson EC, Blachman-Demner D, Laimon L, Taiwo BO, Kuhns LM, John-Stewart GC, Kohler P, Subramanian S, Ayieko J, Gbaja-Biamila T, Oladele D, Obiezu-Umeh C, Chima KP, Jalil EM, Falcao J, Ezechi OC, Kapogiannis BG. Accelerating adolescent HIV research in low-income and middle-income countries: evidence from a research consortium. AIDS 2021; 35:2503-2511. [PMID: 34870930 PMCID: PMC8901045 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000003049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Many adolescents and young adults (AYA) have unmet HIV prevention needs. We describe the Prevention and Treatment through a Comprehensive Care Continuum for HIV-affected Adolescents in Resource Constrained Settings (PATC3H) consortium organization, transition milestones, and youth engagement strategies. The PATC3H consortium focuses on reducing HIV incidence and related health disparities among AYA. DESIGN AND METHODS Organizational data were obtained from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and supplemented with a brief survey completed by study principal investigators. Transition from the initial phase (years 1 and 2) to the subsequent phase (years 3 and 5) was contingent on meeting prespecified milestones. We reviewed the structure and function of the research consortium, identified shared elements of transition milestones, and examined common youth engagement strategies. RESULTS The PATC3H consortium supports eight research studies through a milestone transition mechanism. The consortium includes AYA HIV research studies in seven countries - Brazil, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. The NIH request for applications required transition milestones that included early consultation with stakeholders. The transition milestones required by NIH for the eight studies included early consultation with health and policy stakeholders, pilot intervention data, and commitment from national government stakeholders. All studies provided multiple pathways for AYA engagement, including AYA advisory boards and youth-led research studies. CONCLUSION Data suggest that requiring milestones to transition to the final phase may have facilitated health and policy stakeholder engagement and enhanced formative assessment of regulatory protocols. These data have implications for designing engaged research studies in low and middle-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D. Tucker
- Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Clinical Research Department, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Juliet Iwelunmor
- Behavioral Science and Health Education, College for Public Health and Social Justice, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Elaine Abrams
- ICAP at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
- Epidemiology Department, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Geri Donenberg
- Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Erin C. Wilson
- San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA 94102
| | - Dara Blachman-Demner
- Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | | | - Babafemi O. Taiwo
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lisa M. Kuhns
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Grace C. John-Stewart
- Departments of Global Health, Medicine, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Pamela Kohler
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, 1510 San Juan Road NE, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - James Ayieko
- Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Titilola Gbaja-Biamila
- Behavioral Science and Health Education, College for Public Health and Social Justice, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Clinical Sciences Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - David Oladele
- Behavioral Science and Health Education, College for Public Health and Social Justice, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Clinical Sciences Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Chisom Obiezu-Umeh
- Behavioral Science and Health Education, College for Public Health and Social Justice, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Clinical Sciences Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Kelechi P. Chima
- Clinical Sciences Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Emilia M. Jalil
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Joana Falcao
- ICAP at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Oliver C. Ezechi
- Clinical Sciences Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Bill G. Kapogiannis
- Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
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