# CETA-CORE

> **NIH NIH P01** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2023 · $166,140

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Unhealthy alcohol use is a major unaddressed barrier to control of the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa and
the United States. The Zambia Alabama HIV Alcohol Comorbidities Program (ZAMBAMA) aims to address this
barrier through the following overarching aims: (Aim 1) test the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic treatment
model (Common Elements Treatment Approach [CETA]) to reduce unhealthy alcohol use and improve HIV
clinical outcomes; (Aim 2) evaluate the mechanisms through which CETA impacts HIV outcomes; (Aim 3)
investigate whether the treatment effect of CETA varies by clinical (e.g., presence of mental health
comorbidities), demographic (e.g., gender) and contextual (e.g., Zambia, Alabama) factors; and (Aim 4) examine
implementation factors, including cost, related to integrated delivery of alcohol reduction interventions to
disadvantaged people with HIV and unhealthy alcohol use at front-line HIV clinics. The CETA Core will provide
clinical oversight to ZAMBAMA’s two clinical trials and promote integration and synergy with the program. The
Core’s specific aims are (a) train providers in CETA and an alcohol brief intervention in Zambia and Alabama,
(b) provide continuous clinical supervision to the newly trained providers throughout the study periods, (c)
evaluate the clinical competency, knowledge, and fidelity of newly trained providers and supervisors. The Core
is led by the developers of CETA and the alcohol BI who have trained providers and used these interventions in
sub-Saharan Africa and the U.S. CETA is a multi-problem, modular, cognitive behavioral therapy-based model
that is delivered over 6-12 sessions and was found to be effective for a range of mental health symptoms,
unhealthy alcohol use, and other substance use in several previous controlled clinical trials. Although developed
to address severe gaps in the professional mental health workforce in low-income settings, CETA is increasingly
used in the U.S. In ZAMBAMA’s two clinical trials, BI plus referral to CETA will be compared with BI alone for
adults with HIV and unhealthy alcohol use at resource-limited clinics, and the program’s central hypothesis that
screening and treatment of psychiatric comorbidities is critical to improving clinical outcomes in people with HIV
and unhealthy alcohol use.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10685458
- **Project number:** 5P01AA029540-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Laura Kay Murray
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $166,140
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-10 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10685458

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10685458, CETA-CORE (5P01AA029540-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10685458. Licensed CC0.

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