# Jamaica CARES Project: Connecting HIV/AIDS Resources to Engage Jamaican Sexual and Gender Minorities

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2023 · $199,252

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Jamaica’s HIV/AIDS epidemic among sexual and gender minorities is the most severe in the Caribbean in
terms of its breadth and consequences. HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men is estimated at
33% and 51% among transgender women, which is significantly higher than the 1.8% observe in the general
population. Intersectional stigma (often related to intersecting identities) and violence are key drivers of poor
mental health and HIV care engagement, leading to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and low viral
suppression (21%). The goals of the proposed research are to 1) gain and understanding of the influences and
mechanisms by which intersectional stigma and violence impact mental health and engagement in HIV care;
and 2) refine our conceptual framework to aid in intervention development that assists sexual and gender
minorities to engage in HIV care. Candidate: I am a nurse-scientist with a background in health behavior
change theory and social determinants of health in the context of HIV. I am applying for a K23 Career
Development Award to obtain training, mentorship, and research experience to become an expert and
independent investigator in theory-based, behavioral intervention design to improve the health of sexual and
gender minorities in the Caribbean and in other low-resource settings. Mentoring: I have put together an
exceptional mentoring team with extensive experience in intersectional stigma measurement research, mental
health, and HIV treatment and prevention in resource-limited settings like Jamaica. Drs. Sheri Weiser and
Carol Dawson-Rose will serve as co-Primary mentors and bring complementary expertise in HIV treatment and
prevention, trauma, conceptual model framework refinement, and development and implementation of
behavioral interventions in resource-limited settings. My co-mentors, scientific advisor, and collaborator round
out my team to bring specific content and methods expertise and are based both in the United States and
Jamaica, including: Dr. Mallory Johnson (clinical psychologist, intervention design and evaluation; feasibility
implementation, ART adherence); Dr. Tor Neilands (psychology, quantitative methods, design and analysis of
longitudinal data); Dr. Sharlene Jarrett (clinical psychologist, mental health and HIV treatment in the Jamaican
context); Carmen Logie (clinical social worker, intersectionality and mixed methods research); Dr. Jae Sevelius
(clinical psychologist, intersectional stigma measurements, cognitive interviewing, and gender affirmation); Dr.
Anita Stewart (psychologist, measurement adaptation and testing expert); and Dr. Mark Padilla (medical
anthropologist, Caribbean sexualities researcher). Training: I propose to obtain training in acquiring
foundational knowledge in measures of intersectional stigma (adaptation and testing), advanced quantitative
training to collect and analysis skills, and to attain expertise in developing, piloting, and evaluating HIV
be...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10577883
- **Project number:** 5K23MH130250-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Orlando Omar Harris
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $199,252
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-03-01 → 2027-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10577883

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10577883, Jamaica CARES Project: Connecting HIV/AIDS Resources to Engage Jamaican Sexual and Gender Minorities (5K23MH130250-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10577883. Licensed CC0.

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