# Characterizing the HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis care continuum for African American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men

> **NIH NIH R01** · MIRIAM HOSPITAL · 2020 · $656,146

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Young African American (AA) and Hispanic/Latino (H/L) MSM bear a disproportionate share of the HIV
disease burden in the United States (US). Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective in reducing HIV
acquisition risks among MSM, but its ability to reduce HIV acquisition among AA and H/L MSM hinges on
optimal implementation and expanded use in “real-world” clinical settings. Preliminary studies demonstrate that
AA and H/L initiate PrEP and are retained in PrEP care at lower rates than their White counterparts, but little is
known about longer-term adherence and retention in PrEP care among AA and H/L MSM. The manner in
which structural, social, and individual level factors impact PrEP outcomes in real-world settings, particularly
among young AA and H/L MSM, are not yet well understood. MSM who initiate PrEP may change behaviors
(e.g., enter a monogamous relationship with an HIV negative partner) and no longer be indicated for PrEP.
Furthermore, it is largely unknown why individuals, especially AA and H/L MSM, are not retained in PrEP care
which complicates development of appropriate interventions to enhance retention in PrEP care. This proposed
study follows a longitudinal, observational cohort (n=450) of White, AA and H/L MSM in real-world PrEP
programs in Mississippi, Missouri, and Rhode Island to both characterize a PrEP care continuum and predict
why MSM are sub-optimally adherent or lost to care, with a focus on measuring racial and ethnic disparities
(Specific Aim 1). We will conduct individual interviews with MSM who are prescribed PrEP but sub-optimally
adherent or drop out of PrEP care (Specific Aim 2) to elucidate reasons for sub-optimal adherence and
retention and to identify components of potential interventions to improve adherence and retention in care.
Using data from our longitudinal cohort, we will perform microsimulations in the context of an agent-based
model to evaluate the impact of sub-optimal PrEP adherence and retention in care on HIV incidence in three
diverse US settings. We will then predict the impact of potential interventions on PrEP care continuum
outcomes (Specific Aim 3).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9978620
- **Project number:** 5R01MH114657-04
- **Recipient organization:** MIRIAM HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Philip Andrew Chan
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $656,146
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-15 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9978620

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9978620, Characterizing the HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis care continuum for African American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men (5R01MH114657-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9978620. Licensed CC0.

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