Projects
The HMP platform is supports a range of research projects related to health and wellness. Scroll through to read about each project or click the buttons below!
Current Projects
Projects In Development
Completed Projects
HMP Stigma
Title: Increasing engagement and improving HIV care outcomes via stigma reduction in an online social networking intervention among racially diverse young men who have sex with men and transgender women
Clinical Trials #: NCT03678181
Principal Investigators: Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH (m-PI); Kate Muessig, PhD; José Bauermeister, MPH, PhD
Study Coordinators: Aimee Rochelle, MPH; Carissa Crews, MPH, CHC; Jesse Golinkoff, MPH; Willey Lin, MBiotech
Partners: University of Pennsylvania; Florida State University
Study Sponsors: U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)
HMP is an app-delivered intervention designed with and for young, Black and Latinx gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and transgender women. The intervention aims to improve HIV prevention and care by providing a platform where participants can find social support, build community, and engage with issues that matter to them.
MASI
Study Title: Piloting a Smartphone App to Improve Treatment Adherence Among South African Adolescents Living With HIV
Clinical Trials #: NCT04661878
Principal Investigator: Dr. Marta Mulawa (Duke University)
Co-Investigators: Dr. Jackie Hoare (University of Cape Town) and Dr. Lisa Hightow-Weidman (Florida State University)
Partners: University of Cape Town (South Africa); Duke University School of Nursing (USA); Florida State University(USA)
Study Sponsor: U.S. National Institute of Mental Health
The purpose of this study is to customize and pilot MASI (MAsakhane Siphucule Impilo Yethu, Xhosa for “Let’s empower each other and improve our health”), an app-based intervention to promote adherence to HIV treatment among adolescents living with perinatally-acquired HIV in Cape Town, South Africa.
PrEPresent
Study Title: PrEPresent: An Online PrEP Navigation and Activation Intervention for YMSM/Trans/Non-binary Youth in the Los Angeles Metro Area
Clinical Trials #: NCT05281393
Principal Investigators: Michele Kipke, PhD; Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH
Partners: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA); University of Southern California; Florida State University
Study Sponsors: National Institute on Drug Abuse
PrEPresent is a study to develop and pilot test a PrEP activation, navigation and support intervention for Black and Latino young men who have sex with men (BYMSM, L-YMSM) in the Los Angeles metro area.
Vuka+
Study Title: Piloting a Smartphone App to Improve Treatment Adherence Among South African Adolescents Living With HIV
Clinical Trials #: NCT04661878
Principal Investigator: Dr. Marta Mulawa (Duke University)
Co-Investigators: Dr. Jackie Hoare (University of Cape Town) and Dr. Lisa Hightow-Weidman (Florida State University)
Partners: University of Cape Town (South Africa); Duke University School of Nursing (USA); Florida State University (USA)
Study Sponsor: U.S. National Institute of Mental Health
Vuka+ is designed to support women by providing health and wellness information, connection to a supportive community of other women, and resources about relationships, wellness, and sexual health.
EPICC+
Study Title: Expanding PrEP in Community of Color (EPICC+)
EPICC+ seeks to adapt existing evidence-based provider and patient education and support tools and materials (EBT) for use in young men who have sex with men (YMSM) and to train providers in the use of the EBT to facilitate PrEP shared decision making.
LITE-2
Study Title: Keeping it LITE: Exploring HIV Risk in Vulnerable Youth with Limited Interaction and Digital Health Intervention (LITE-2)
Co-Principal Investigators: Sybil G. Hosek, PhD (Cook County Health), Audrey L. French, MD (Cook County Health), Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH (Institute on Digital Health and Innovation, Florida State University School of Nursing)
Study Sponsors: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
LITE-2 is a national longitudinal cohort study specific to sexual AND gender minority adolescents that examines and models the trajectories of sexual behavior, gender identity development, HIV transmission risk and HIV prevention engagement of SGM (inclusive of gender diverse and non-binary individuals) ages 13-34 over time.
Lu Dedoo
Title: Lu Dedoo
Partners: University of Cape Town; APIN Public Health Initiatives, Nigeria; One Cow Standing; Florida State University
Study Sponsor: The Desmond Tutu Health Foundation
Lu Dedoo is an app designed to increase antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication amongst youth in Nigeria living with HIV. Historically, adolescents have struggled with remaining medication adherent and complying with a strict medicinal schedule. Lu Dedoo strives to address such barriers through adaptation of the HealthMpowerment app. The app promotes the importance of taking ART on a daily basis, along with other health topics, and provides users with medication reminders to stay on schedule.
My-Hero
With a rapidly expanding HIV epidemic in Malaysia, HIV incidence is increasing, especially among MSM. My-Hero is a developed app with elements of gamification from an existing mHealth platform, HealthMPowerment (HMP). Additional health behaviors such as smoking rates, alcohol/drug use, depression, and levels of physical activity will be trackable within the app. My-Hero’s goal is to deliver an integrated HIV prevention intervention to improve PrEP uptake, retention and other health promoting activities for Malaysian YMSM.
Prepare Romania
Title: Preparing for pre-exposure prophylaxis implementation in Central-Eastern European Countries with low access to biomedical prevention
Clinical Trials #: NCT05323123
Co-Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Corina Lelutiu-Weinberger (Columbia), Dr. John Pachankis (Yale)
Co-Investigators: Dr. Lisa Hightow-Weidman (FSU)
Partners: Columbia University; Yale School of Public Health; Florida State University (FSU)
Study Sponsor: Fogarty International Center
To address the unmet HIV-prevention needs of Romanian GBM, our established US-Romanian team proposes to introduce a culturally-responsive PrEP program in Romania. We will integrate and adapt two tools that we developed and tested in the US 1) SPARK, an in-person motivational intervention for uptake of and adherence to PrEP using an empowering sexual health approach; and 2) P3 (Prepared, Protected, emPowered), a PrEP adherence support app that utilizes engaging social networking and game-based elements, with an in-app portal for individualized live adherence counseling.
UsNoW
Study Title: PrEP UsNoW: PrEP Utilization through Increasing Social Capital Among YBMSM Networks with Women
Clinical Trials #: Coming soon
Principle Investigators: Latesha Elopre (University of Alabama at Birmingham) and Sophia Hussen (Emory University)
Co-Investigators: Dr. Michael Mugavero (UAB), Janet Turan (UAB), Lisa Hightow-Weidman (FSU), John Schneider (University of Chicago), and Dustin Long (UAB)
Partners: University of Alabama at Birmingham; Emory University; Florida State University (FSU)
We propose to leverage YBMSM’s supportive connections with Black women to develop USNow (PrEP Utilization through increasing Social Capital among YBMSM Networks with Women), a novel mobile health intervention that will engage Black women as facilitators in existing networks of YBMSM, as a way of enhancing social capital, decreasing intersectional stigma, and promoting PrEP uptake within the network. The central feature of the USNow intervention will be real-time, virtual discussions led by a trained Black woman facilitator, delivered to an existing network of YBMSM. This study will be conducted in an epicenter of the Southern HIV epidemic: Alabama.
Prideboost
A community engagement platform for sexual and gender minority youth across the United States to support their well-being and resilience.
A collaboration with The University of Pennsylvania and The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
More coming soon!
Stars
Study Title: Suicide prevention intervention for vulnerable merging adult sexual minorities
Principal Investigators: José Bauermeister, MPH, PhD; Lily Brown, PhD
Partners: University of Pennsylvania; Florida State University
Study Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
STARS is an app-delivered intervention designed with and for young sexual and gender minorities (YSGM) at risk for suicide in Philadelphia. The app aims to reduce YSGM’s suicidal ideation and reinforced the intention to adhere to their safety plan.
STARS will focus on three major skill sets: 1) self-management skills (e.g., setting, and enacting goals to promote positive affect); 2) social skills (e.g., elicitation of social support); and 3) personal skills (e.g., coping with discrimination more effectively and seeking out safe spaces). With the support of peer mentors, YSGM can set goals to shift their sense of mastery (to improve positive affect), engage with a community that understands their needs (to improve social connection), and identify local resources that support their well-being (to improve coping and reduce the impact of discrimination on their well-being). Finally, STARS will promote the use of the Safety Plan by equipping peer mentors to discuss barriers to enact the Safety Plan through scheduled appointments.
More coming soon!
TRANSforming the Carolinas
Principal Investigator(s): Tonia Poteat, PhD, MPH, PA-C (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Co-Investigators: Dr. Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH (Florida State University); Meagan Zarwell (University of North Carolina – Charlotte); Sayward Harrison (University of South Carolina)
Study Coordinator: Nastacia Pereira, MPH (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Partners: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of South Carolina; University of North Carolina – Charlotte; The Wright Wellness Center; Mecklenburg County; Medical University of South Carolina; Roper St. Francis; DHEC
Study Sponsor: UNC CFAR supplement from NIAID
The purpose of this study is to develop and pilot a community health worker (CHW) training module designed to address the barriers to HIV prevention and care for transgender people of color (TPOC) living in North Carolina (NC) and South Carolina (SC).