# LOTUS: An mHealth Intervention to Improve HIV Prevention Service Engagement and Intersectional Stigma among Racially Diverse Women Who Use Drugs

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2022 · $180,166

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Candidate. Dr. Meyers-Pantele applies for this K01 mentored training award with the independent career goal
of attaining a productive and independent research career as a health behavior interventionist focused on
reducing HIV disparities among women who use drugs (WWUD). Her current training, however, does not
extend beyond the secondary analysis of stigma, and substance use data, and is insufficient for in-depth
instruction on the theoretical and practical methods required for the development and implementation of health
behavior interventions for racially and ethnically diverse WWUD. Specifically, the K01 training will support her
transition to an independent career scientist by: (1) developing proficiency in intersectionality theory to inform
an intervention targeting HIV prevention service engagement and intersectional stigma for racially diverse
WWUD, (2) gaining expertise in mHealth intervention design and development to create the proposed mHealth
intervention, (3) building proficiency in the implementation of randomized controlled trials to pilot the developed
intervention, (4) strengthening her skill base in implementation science to design an intervention that has the
potential for adoption and implementation, and (5) fostering the personal development skills necessary for a
successful academic career. These training aims will be accomplished through didactic courses, training
workshops, participation in professional research networks, hands-on research, and mentored training.
Research and Environment. WWUD are at increased risk for HIV and have low levels of pre-exposure
prophylaxis knowledge and acceptance. Additionally, racially and ethnically diverse WWUD experience
intersectional stigma due to gendered and racialized social norms surrounding womanhood, motherhood,
morality, substance use, and criminality, all of which have important implications for women’s engagement with
HIV prevention services. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions and interventions that target intersectional
stigma have the potential to increase HIV prevention service engagement, but there is a dearth of interventions
tailored toward racially diverse WWUD. The proposed research will provide Dr. Meyers-Pantele with the
training to address this critical gap in HIV prevention research. She will employ qualitative methods to identify
key experiences with HIV prevention services and intersectional stigma, and potential barriers and facilitators
to intervention adoption and implementation, to inform the development of potential theory-driven mHealth
intervention components. This information will be used to develop and test the usability of the mheaLth
interventiOn To redUce Stigma (LOTUS) intervention to improve HIV prevention service engagement and
intersectional stigma for racially and ethnically diverse WWUD. Lastly, she will conduct a pilot RCT to assess
the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact of the LOTUS intervention. Th...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10548662
- **Project number:** 1K01DA055983-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephanie Alice Meyers-Pantele
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $180,166
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-15 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10548662

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10548662, LOTUS: An mHealth Intervention to Improve HIV Prevention Service Engagement and Intersectional Stigma among Racially Diverse Women Who Use Drugs (1K01DA055983-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10548662. Licensed CC0.

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