# Geographic Variability in Time from HIV Diagnosis to Viral Suppression in the Deep South: A Roadmap to Accelerated Treatment Initiation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2020 · $512,866

## Abstract

Project Abstract
This proposal describes a 5-year research plan that seeks to address gaps in our understanding
of the individual, geographic, and sociocontextual determinants of delays in achieving HIV viral
suppression (VS) in the Deep South region of the United States (US), an area carrying a
disproportionate burden of the country’s HIV epidemic. The proposal leverages a dynamic and
innovative collaboration of experienced investigators from the University of Alabama at
Birmingham (UAB) Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the HIV Divisions of the state health
departments in Alabama (AL), Louisiana (LA), and Mississippi (MS). This novel research proposal
utilizes a population-health approach to evaluate time to VS among newly diagnosed individuals
and integrates a mixed-methods approach to examine the socioeconomic, demographic, and
structural determinants of time to VS in this population in the development of an intervention to
accelerate initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The specific aims of this proposal are to: 1)
Utilize HIV surveillance data collected by the states’ public health electronic HIV/AIDS Reporting
System (eHARS) to characterize geographic variability in time from HIV diagnosis to VS (<200
c/mL) among newly reported HIV cases among those age ≥13 years at diagnosis between
January 2014-December 2017 in AL, LA, and MS; 2) Identify individual and community-level
determinants of time to VS, incorporating quantitative geospatial coding methods, in AL, LA, and
MS among newly reported cases of HIV among those age ≥13 years at diagnosis from January
2014-December 2017 and contextualize these findings with qualitative key informant interviews
among persons living with HIV (PLWH), HIV treatment and social services providers, and other
community stakeholders in AL, LA, and MS; and 3) Engage stakeholders in developing a rapid
ART initiation program focusing upon localities in the Deep South with disproportionately longer
time from HIV diagnosis to VS. We will then incorporate these results in an R01 application testing
the implementation of a community-level rapid ART initiation program in the Deep South, focusing
on areas with longer time from HIV diagnosis to VS. Results of this research will lay the
groundwork for a larger implementation trial that will include rigorous evaluation of interventions
integrating clinical and public health systems aimed at improving time to VS in the US with
consideration for cost-effectiveness.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9842398
- **Project number:** 5R01AI142690-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** David S. Batey
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $512,866
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-12-24 → 2023-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9842398

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9842398, Geographic Variability in Time from HIV Diagnosis to Viral Suppression in the Deep South: A Roadmap to Accelerated Treatment Initiation (5R01AI142690-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9842398. Licensed CC0.

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