Research and Projects

This research was funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) – TI080561

The primary aim of this service-oriented project was to expand and enhance the local implementation of a community infrastructure that integrates housing, behavioral health, and addiction treatment services for justice-involved men and women who experience co-occurring homelessness, psychiatric, and substance use disorders. By co-locating these services for the target population, we aimed to improve access to health services, social support, housing, and recovery support services, and to facilitate reintegration into society and reduce recidivism among this highly vulnerable population. This project was conducted in partnership with the Yale Community Health Care Van (CHCV) and Liberty Community Services.

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This research was supported by a Gilead Sciences Investigator-Sponsored Research Award

PrEP is transforming the landscape of HIV prevention but is understudied in women, particularly criminal justice (CJ) involved women. This research study had two central aims (1) To assess PrEP awareness, attitudes, and clinical eligibility among CJ-involved women and compare them across the CJ continuum; and (2) To evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of strategically delivering PrEP to CJ-involved women and members of their risk networks. We hypothesized that among those clinically eligible for PrEP, it would be feasible and acceptable to initiate PrEP among CJ-involved women and recruit members of their high-risk networks.

This research study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03293290)

This research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

We proposed to generate qualitative data from interviews with prisoners and prison staff and triangulated it with quantitative data from MATLINK within an analytical HIV risk environment framework which aimed to: 1. Describe the individual-environment interactions that shape within-prison drug-related HIV risk practices and health expectations post-release; and 2. Measure how within-prison risk and other factors within the prison environment mediate engagement with OAT both within prison and after release.

This research was funded by a Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Scientist Development Award.

The overarching goal of this project was to facilitate HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake among women who use drugs by elevating women’s awareness of PrEP and an appropriate perception of their personal HIV risk. We aimed to do this in two ways: (1) by creating a patient-centered HIV prevention decision aid for women with substance use disorders entering treatment; and (2) to test the effect of the informed decision aid intervention on PrEP uptake among women with substance use disorders entering treatment. We hypothesized that compared to those receiving standard harm reduction information, women receiving the standard substance use decision aid will have increased PrEP uptake at 6 and 12 months post-intervention.

This research study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03651453)

This project was funded by the National Institute on Drug Use (NIDA)

Research data suggest that the experiences of women require a somewhat different intervention approach compared to men in order to be optimally efficacious for reducing HIV sex and drug-related risk-taking behaviors. This project aimed to fill in the gaps for sex-specific interventions among drug users and those involved in the criminal justice system by adapting and pilot testing the Holistic Health Recovery Program for women with HIV (HHRP+), a CDC evidence-based secondary HIV prevention intervention. This intervention served as a framework to optimize HIV treatment outcomes for women under correctional supervision.

This project was funded by a Pilot Project Award from the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA).

This Type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation study sought to adapt an existing PrEP decision aid to intimate partner violence (IPV)-exposed women seeking domestic violence (DV) services at two major Connecticut service agencies. This study's goal was to: provide support for a PrEP decision aid that addresses the HIV prevention needs of IPV-exposed women; use implementation science to increase PrEP uptake; include DV agencies in intervention development and implementation; and improve understanding of PrEP scale-up by addressing implementation factors in the community settings that serve IPV-exposed women.

This research was funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) R34-MH127986-02

This study was designed to develop and test an individual decision aid for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) tailored to Black women who have been exposed to intimate partner violence and are working with a domestic violence service provider. Three different ways of delivering the tailored decision aid were being tested: 1) as an individual tool, 2) as a shared decision-making tool with a domestic violence advocate, and 3) as compared to generalized information. The goal of the decision aid was to address key cultural and structural factors and help women gain PrEP awareness and access

This research study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05614492