Ce-PIM Diversity Supplement:
HIV Prevention Implementation Science within Criminal Justice Involved Populations

Project Lead: Dr. Russell Brewer
Primary Mentor: Dr. John Schneider
Secondary Mentor: Dr. C Hendricks Brown
Institution: University of Chicago

Young Black Men who have sex with Men (YBMSM) are impacted by twin epidemics of HIV and incarceration in the US. HIV disparities between Black and White men who have sex with men (MSM) have not been fully explained by higher engagement in risky behaviors (e.g., condomless sex), and socio-structural factors (e.g.,incarceration, unemployment, stigma) have been shown to contribute to the observed HIV disparities among MSM in the US. Hence, approaches to identify and address the socio-structural factors are needed to reduce the burden of HIV among YBMSM. Because of frequent transient life circumstances, disruption of social and sexual networks, and socio-structural barriers (e.g., stigma, unemployment) to accessing HIV services (e.g.,treatment as prevention [TasP], pre-exposure prophylaxis [PrEP], and HIV testing), criminal justice involved (CJI) substance-using YBMSM represent an important target for intervention. Although effective behavioral, biomedical, and structural-level HIV interventions for CJI populations exist, their successful development, implementation, and impact on HIV for CJI substance-using YBMSM have not been fully realized, scaled up, and sustained. The proposed research will:

1. Develop a better understanding of the current HIV prevention landscape and sociostructural barriers to HIV services for CJI substance-using YBMSM in Chicago using a Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research model (CFIR).

2. Provide recommendations to integrate and/or address the socio-structural barriers to HIV services for CJI substance-using YBMSM in Chicago.

3. Inform the Ce-PIM (parent grant) and B.A.R.S (qualifying grant) studies.