# Accelerating Equitable PrEP Delivery for Black Adults in Primary Care Settings: Development and Testing of A Practice-Level Multifaceted Implementation Strategy

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2024 · $193,681

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Substantial measures must be taken in the United States to rectify the marked inequities in HIV pre-exposure
prophylaxis (PrEP) outcomes among Black adults. PrEP implementation among Black populations is
undermined by individual, interpersonal, and structural barriers rooted in stigma, racism, heterosexism, and
sexism. Improving PrEP provision has become imperative as novel modalities emerge. There is an urgent
need to develop implementation strategies that accelerate equitable PrEP delivery. The goal of this K23 is
to facilitate Dr. Watson’s long-term goal to become an independent investigator focused on the
development of implementation strategies to achieve equitable HIV prevention outcomes among Black
populations. The proposed K23 will focus on designing and testing a multifaceted implementation strategy
to support PrEP provision for Black primary care patients, grounded in an adapted conceptual framework
that includes constructs from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and
Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. Dr. Watson’s proposed research plan will consist of training objectives
in (1) qualitative research, (2) behavioral and social science research (BSSR), (3) community-engaged
research, and (4) implementation science. With a focus on equity-centered applications within
implementation science and community-engaged research, she requires further training in qualitative
research, BSSR, and trial design to develop and pilot an implementation strategy to increase local PrEP
provision capacity. These training objectives will be achieved through mentorship from an exemplary
multidisciplinary mentorship team, complementary research aims, professional development activities, and
coursework. Specifically, she plans to: (Aim 1) Identify key provider-, practice-, and community-level CFIR-
based determinants of local PrEP delivery; (Aim 2) Develop a theory-informed multifaceted implementation
strategy that follows a destigmatizing sexual health framework to accelerate equitable PrEP delivery for
adult Black primary care patients; (Aim 3) Conduct a 12-month two-arm pilot trial to evaluate implementation
strategy feasibility and acceptability at four medical practices that provide primary care services. The results
of this study will be important for the field of implementation science as it focuses on facilitating theory-
informed behavior changes among providers and practice leadership to accelerate equitable PrEP provision
for Black primary care patients. Findings from the pilot will inform the design and submission of an R01
application for a hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial of the implementation strategy in year 4. The
proposal will form a strong foundation for Dr. Watson’s continued development toward an independently
funded research career as an implementation scientist invested in the development of implementation
strategies to achieve equitable HIV prevention care outcomes among Black ad...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10870029
- **Project number:** 5K23MH132475-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Dovie Watson
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $193,681
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-06-16 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10870029

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10870029, Accelerating Equitable PrEP Delivery for Black Adults in Primary Care Settings: Development and Testing of A Practice-Level Multifaceted Implementation Strategy (5K23MH132475-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10870029. Licensed CC0.

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