# Leveraging Social Networks to Improve Retention in Care and Viral Suppression Among HIV-infected Youth in East Africa

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $198,895

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
HIV-infected youth age 15 – 24 in sub-Saharan Africa are not experiencing the same gains in quality of life and
improved life expectancy from antiretroviral therapy (ART) as older adults, largely due to lower retention in care
and viral suppression. Leveraging the social networks of HIV-infected youth to improve engagement in ART
care may be an efficient and durable way to improve treatment outcomes, however little is known about social
networks of youth or the influence of social networks on HIV treatment outcomes in resource-limited settings.
Through specific training and structured mentorship I will investigate the role social networks play in retention
in care and viral suppression among youth in this mentored career development award. I will use cross-
sectional analysis of existing social network data collected as part of a large, population-based test-and-treat
trial as well as new, longitudinal data on the social networks of youth who seroconvert during follow-up and use
the results to inform the design and implementation of a network-based intervention to improve HIV treatment
outcomes among youth. My research aims are: (1) Evaluate the influence of social network attributes on
retention in care and viral suppression among youth (15 – 24 years) in western Kenya; (2) Investigate
longitudinal changes in the social networks of youth before and after HIV diagnosis; and (3) Design and pilot a
network-based intervention to improve retention in care and viral suppression among HIV-infected youth based
on results from Aim 1 and Aim 2. I will leverage the research infrastructure and sociometric social network data
on over 52,000 community members including 17,069 youth age 15 – 24 in 12 communities in rural Western
Kenya collected at baseline during the ongoing SEARCH (NCT01864603) test-and-treat trial.
I will accomplish my training aims through coursework, workshops, and guidance from mentors who are
experts in social network analysis, advanced epidemiologic methods, youth in East Africa, HIV treatment
strategies, and intervention development. My training aims are: (1) Develop expertise in the theory and
analysis of social network data and apply social network analysis to understand HIV treatment outcomes; (2)
Gain experience in network data collection; (3) Apply advanced longitudinal analysis methods to network data;
and, (4) Gain experience using network data to inform intervention development. The rigorous training in social
network theory and methods, intervention development, and the interdisciplinary mentorship team committed
to my success will position me as an independent physician-scientist with network expertise in the HIV
treatment field. The data generated from this K23 will inform the development of an R01 that will evaluate the
effectiveness of a social network based intervention to improve clinical outcomes among HIV-infected youth in
East Africa in a cluster-randomized control trial.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9948017
- **Project number:** 5K23MH116810-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Lillian B Brown
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $198,895
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-05 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9948017

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9948017, Leveraging Social Networks to Improve Retention in Care and Viral Suppression Among HIV-infected Youth in East Africa (5K23MH116810-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9948017. Licensed CC0.

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