# Penn - Center for AIDS Research

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2024 · $238,699

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Ending the HIV Epidemic will require multi-sectoral efforts to maximize the dissemination and availability of HIV
testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Pharmacies can fill an important gap in delivering PrEP to
populations affected by HIV and have many advantages over conventional clinic-based care models, including
increased accessibility, established community trust, and experience providing medication counseling. The
overarching goal of this supplement application is to advance the science of implementing pharmacy-based
rapid HIV testing and PrEP, two evidence-based practices that remain underutilized among populations
affected by the HIV epidemic. This study will examine key questions regarding the implementation of
pharmacy-based rapid HIV testing and PrEP initiation in communities with high burden of HIV in Philadelphia,
PA, an urban area prioritized by the Ending of HIV Epidemic initiative. We hypothesize that a pharmacy-based
PrEP delivery model will be acceptable, feasible, and appropriate and that individuals will uptake pharmacy-
based PrEP. The study will pursue three research aims:
Aim 1: Identify implementation barriers and facilitators of pharmacy-based HIV testing and PrEP initiation.
Informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Health Equity
Implementation Framework (HEIF), we will conduct a mixed methods study using in-depth interviews with
stakeholders and a survey of pharmacists to identify implementation determinants and assess implementation
readiness of pharmacy-based PrEP.
Aim 2: Determine optimal implementation strategies for pharmacy-based HIV testing and PrEP delivery. We
will conduct focus group discussions with pharmacists and stakeholders to determine optimal strategies and
mechanisms to maximize implementation success of the intervention.
Aim 3: Evaluate the implementation of a community-based, pharmacist-led HIV testing and rapid PrEP
initiation intervention. Using the Proctor framework of implementation outcomes, we will pilot the intervention in
community pharmacies and conduct a mixed methods study to assess acceptability, feasibility,
appropriateness, and reach of the program.
The research will be implemented through a collaborative effort with partners from the Penn Center for AIDS
Research, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, and local community
pharmacies. Completion of research aims will provide key data on an adaptable model for widespread
implementation of pharmacy-based HIV testing and PrEP. Moreover, the project will support local EHE efforts
by capacitating pharmacists to provide rapid HIV testing and promptly initiate PrEP. Evidence and insights
generated from this research will be used to test the efficacy of the intervention at scale in a Type II hybrid
effectiveness-implementation clinical trial.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11140871
- **Project number:** 3P30AI045008-26S2
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Ronald G Collman
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $238,699
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1999-07-01 → 2029-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11140871

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11140871, Penn - Center for AIDS Research (3P30AI045008-26S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11140871. Licensed CC0.

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