# Multilevel Comprehensive HIV Prevention for South African Adolescent Girls and Young Women

> **NIH NIH UH3** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2022 · $84,611

## Abstract

South African Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW), ages 15 – 19 years-old, are at high risk of
new sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Ongoing efforts to stem transmissions have been
disappointing. Family-based prevention programs are an underutilized approach in the HIV prevention
toolkit, despite evidence of their promise in improving AGYW health prevention attitudes and behaviors.
This one-year diversity supplement will support Alyssa Debra's career development as a physician scientist
who is beginning her PhD after completing two years of medical school. Her research study builds on the
parent grant, a 2-arm randomized controlled trial testing a female caregiver (FC)-daughter HIV/STI
prevention program on South African AGYW STI and HIV incidence. Using UG3 pilot data from the parent
study, Alyssa will evaluate two theoretical mechanisms believed to explain change in AGYW STI and HIV
outcomes: FC-AGYW relationships and communication, and AGYW HIV/STI knowledge, attitudes, and
skills. Alyssa will examine change in these mechanisms from baseline to 6-month follow-up (after the
intervention), and she will compare changes in the experimental and control arms. Findings will set the stage
to evaluate the role of these mechanisms on the primary and secondary outcomes of the parent project.
The career development plan specifies a combination of hands-on experiential training, coursework, guided
readings, one-on-one meetings with mentors, and networking opportunities to achieve Alyssa's three
training goals: (1) global health research, (2) implementation science, and (3) adolescent health disparities.
Alyssa has assembled an expert mentorship team who will facilitate her engagement in research and
training activities. Each month, she will review her progress with Dr. Donenberg to ensure she is on track to
meet her deliverables. Taken together, the combination of experiences, close mentorship, and oversight by
Dr. Donenberg, Alyssa will receive a strong foundation to prepare her for a future research career.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10620397
- **Project number:** 3UH3HD096875-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** GERI R DONENBERG
- **Activity code:** UH3 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $84,611
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10620397

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10620397, Multilevel Comprehensive HIV Prevention for South African Adolescent Girls and Young Women (3UH3HD096875-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10620397. Licensed CC0.

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