Program seeks Council approval for an initiative titled “Adolescent HIV Prevention and Care Continuum in Resource Limited Settings”. The purpose of this initiative is to stimulate much needed research in a neglected area of public health significance: prevention of new HIV infections among adolescents at risk and the identification of, and linkage and retention to care of youth living with HIV in resource constrained settings (RLS).
Despite the burgeoning global HIV epidemic and its effects on morbidity and mortality among adolescents over the past 5 years, NIH has funded relatively little research in adolescents affected by HIV in resource constrained settings. Over this same period, the HIV/AIDS research arena has experienced numerous triumphs, including several groundbreaking milestones in biomedical prevention of infection as well as the adaptation and implementation of a systematic approach to address and improve health outcomes among those with HIV infection using the HIV care continuum (HCC). Unfortunately, a major obstacle to the success of these interventions is their dependence on excellent adherence and engagement in care, areas which are particularly challenging for adolescents.
The specific goals of this initiative will be to increase the scientific capacity for behavioral, community and biomedical intervention research using a variety of prevention and treatment methodologies addressing adolescents impacted by HIV in RLS, improve the knowledgebase in this area and inform national and global guidelines on the clinical management of at-risk, uninfected and HIV-infected young people in these regions.
This proposed concept aligns with the NICHD Vision areas of Behavior and Environment.
This initiative addresses multiple NIH OAR areas of emphasis, including Microbicides, Vaccines, Behavioral and Social Sciences and Therapeutics and OAR overarching priorities: 1) reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS infections and 2) health disparities among HIV-infected and at-risk adolescents and young adults in resource limited settings.
Program Contact
Bill Kapogiannis
Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch
Back to Concept Review by Council
BACK TO TOP