Prevention and Treatment through a Comprehensive Care Continuum for HIV-affected Adolescents in Resource Constrained Settings Implementation Science Network (PATC3H-IN)

Program seeks Council approval to continue supporting "Prevention and Treatment through a Comprehensive Care Continuum for HIV-affected Adolescents in Resource Constrained Settings—Implementation Science Network (PATC3H-IN)."

Despite effective antiretrovirals for treatment and prevention, adolescents and young adults (AYA) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and in the US continue to bear a disproportionate burden of HIV. Aligned with NIH's Unified Strategy prioritizing Implementation Science (IS), PATC3H-IN develops scalable, low-resource care delivery models in LMICs that can be adapted for marginalized, high-burden US populations. Areas of focus include cost-effective models adaptable to geographically isolated US communities, methodologies addressing barriers to care in low-income populations, and scalable interventions translatable into localized US-based programs.

Over the initiative's last two funding cycles, NICHD supported 16 research programs that advanced understanding of how differentiated care approaches improve youth outcomes across the HIV prevention and care continua (HPCC). However, significant gaps remain among AYA, and promising interventions—including long-acting antiviral regimens, pharmacy-based HIV service delivery, and digital health platforms—require further translation, study, and scale-up in new AYA populations and/or settings using rigorous implementation science methods.

PATC3H-IN will now support later-stage hybrid effectiveness-implementation projects to translate interventions among AYA populations and global settings where IS research activity is limited. With a focus on cost and sustainability, the initiative aims to inform national and global clinical guidelines for at-risk, uninfected, and HIV-positive young people, and to adapt prevention and treatment strategies to meet the needs of AYA in the US and globally.

This concept aligns with the NICHD Strategic Plan goals of Improving Adolescent Health and Transition to Adulthood and multiple Cross-Cutting themes. It further aligns with the MPIDB research priority on HIV—preventing new acquisitions and improving health outcomes in adolescents living with HIV—as well as overarching OAR HIV/AIDS priorities.

Program Contact

Franklin Yates
Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch (MPIDB)