The only way we will better understand and develop effective treatments for adolescents infected with HIV is through access to adolescent-specific research. Maintaining the seamless integration of care and access to research is essential.

Current projects

PUSH involves a smartphone app combined with a counseling technique called Motivational Interviewing. We want to see if it improves adherence to HIV medication for youth living with HIV and uptake of PrEP for at-risk HIV-negative youth. Our hope is that the interventions in PUSH will improve identification, linkage and engagement in care. Learn more and see if you qualify.

Get Connected is a study testing an e-health intervention for 15- to 24-year-old gay, bisexual, and queer (GBQ) cisgender men. The Get Connected web app helps to link users with HIV prevention services in Philadelphia. Learn more and see if you qualify.

POSSE is a culturally tailored health promotion intervention conducted to determine if it will reduce health risk behaviors of young men who have sex with men (YMSM) among the House and Ball Community (HBC) in Philadelphia. We are looking to get a better sense of community members’ life experiences and health behaviors. With this information, we hope to develop better tools for improving the health of young members of the House and Ball Community.

P3 (Prepared, Protected, EmPowered) is a research study for 16- to 24-year-old gay and bisexual men and transgender women. The purpose is to see if an app can help improve people’s ability to take PrEP every day. Learn more and see if you’re eligible.

The Young Men’s Health Project (YMHP) is a research study about sexual health and substance use for young men who have sex with men (YMSM) and for transgender men. The purpose is to adapt a motivational interviewing (MI) intervention with youth between 15 and 24 years of age.

YouThrive is a research study focused on a new web app called YouThrive developed to help young people (15 to 24 years old) with HIV to get the support they need. The app also provides information about ways to deal with some of the challenges of living with HIV, i.e., taking medication.

TechStep is a technology-based PrEP intervention for trans and non-binary youth. We want to find out if it improves PrEP uptake and adherence while also reducing sexual risk behaviors for HIV-vulnerable youth.

Past studies

215 Guys assessed the feasibility of a national HIV behavior surveillance system for young MSM, and was designed to identify the most appropriate methods for reaching men who have sex with men (MSM) ages 13 to 17 years. The information collected will be used to make decisions about ongoing monitoring for the support of this population.

Project PrEPare was an innovative HIV-prevention study designed to explore the safety, acceptability and feasibility of PrEP among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) who are at risk for HIV infection in the United States. This study took place at 14 clinical sites across the U.S. with about 200 HIV-uninfected YMSM, ages 18 to 22.

The MPowerment Project used fun and entertaining social events, programs and activities to make it possible for YMSM (ages 12 to 24) to get together and meet new people. These events incorporated positive messages to empower YMSM to have safer sex by providing education on sexual health, protection methods, and communication with partners and friends about safer sex.

Connect to Protect (C2P) is a community-level prevention research project of the Adolescent Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions. The mission is to reduce the HIV/AIDS rates among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) and their networks through the collaborative efforts of local communities and health researchers.

The key to Connect to Protect’s success is uniting the experience and skills of researchers and other individuals and organizations from the community. These partnerships allow for multiple voices to be heard and for community needs to be kept at the forefront as HIV prevention strategies are developed and implemented.

Together, C2P partners are creating a blueprint for community action, designed to transform the physical and social environment in ways that can curb the spread of HIV among youth for the long term.