# Evaluation of pre-exposure prophylaxis cascade in pregnant and breastfeeding women in Cape Town, South Africa

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2021 · $140,064

## Abstract

Project Summary
HIV-uninfected pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Africa are at high risk of HIV acquisition despite
increased uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and maternal seroconversion during pregnancy and
breastfeeding contributes significantly toward pediatric HIV infections. Comprehensive HIV prevention
programs that include biomedical interventions, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), could dramatically
reduce HIV incidence in pregnant and breastfeeding women in high HIV incidence areas and reduce vertical
HIV transmission. The overarching goal of this proposal is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of
integrating PrEP into antenatal and postnatal care, to describe the cascade in women initiating PrEP in this
setting, and to evaluate the reasons for attrition along the PrEP cascade in a cohort of pregnant and
breastfeeding women Candidate: I am an HIV epidemiologist with a background in HIV research and program
development, implementation in Africa. I am applying for a five-year Fogarty IRSDA K01 award to obtain
training, mentorship, and research experience to become an independent investigator capable of obtaining
R01 funding. Mentoring: I have put together an exceptional multi-disciplinary mentoring team with extensive
experience in HIV prevention research in South Africa that integrates clinical research, epidemiology, PrEP
and qualitative methods. Drs. Thomas Coates (UCLA) and Landon Myer (University of Cape Town, South
Africa) will serve as co-Primary mentors and bring complementary expertise in behavioral science and clinical
trials. In addition to my two Primary mentors, my co-mentors provide expertise in specific content areas and
methodologies and are based in both the U.S. and South Africa. My co-mentorship team includes: Dr. Pamina
Gorbach (U.S.-based, behavioural epidemiologist with significant experience in mixed methods research, Dr.
Linda-Gail Bekker (SA-based, clinical trials, PrEP and research in young women). Training: Specific training in
clinical trials, advanced biostatistics, behavioural science and mixed methods analysis, will be achieved
through intensive mentored training, coursework, workshops and and primary research in South Africa. Guided
by my mentorship team, these training and research experiences will establish my independent investigator
career as an expert in research in pregnant and breastfeeding women in low resource settings. Research: The
specific aims are to: (1) Evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of integrating PrEP into antenatal and
postnatal/well-baby services; (2) Describe the PrEP cascade of initiation, retention, and adherence in a cohort
of HIV-uninfected pregnant and breastfeeding women, (3) Evaluate attrition and associated factors across the
PrEP cascade. The results from our study will provide a model to implement WHO guidance and scale-up
PrEP delivery in pregnant and breastfeeding women at risk of HIV and contribute to the elimination of vertical
HIV ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10084331
- **Project number:** 5K01TW011187-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** DVORA Leah JOSEPH DAVEY
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $140,064
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-21 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10084331

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10084331, Evaluation of pre-exposure prophylaxis cascade in pregnant and breastfeeding women in Cape Town, South Africa (5K01TW011187-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10084331. Licensed CC0.

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