| Name | Description | Authors | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01. Evaluation Findings from the NYSDOH Crystal Methamphetamine Use in Marginalized Communities Virtual Discussion Series, 2023 | Curating a space for education, awareness, and collaboration, led the AIDS Institute (AI) Crystal Meth workgroup to develop the Crystal Meth Use in Marginalized Communities Discussion Series. The objective of this series is to hold space for education and awareness through intentional discussions that reflect the impact crystal meth use has in communities that often experience societal and political marginalization. The New York State Department of Health, Office of Drug User Health held two Crystal Meth Use in Marginalized Communities Discussion sessions on February 16 and March 2, 2023. These sessions were held virtually in which the first aimed to explore how crystal meth became a silent and emerging epidemic in racial and ethnic groups historically marginalized; and the second explored the current climate of crystal meth use in the Black and Brown LGBTQIA+ community. At the end of each session, a brief online survey administered through SurveyMonkey was sent to gather feedback from attendees to inform planning and preparation for future sessions. A total of 233 participants attended the first session and 96 responded to the evaluation survey (response rate: 41.2%). Among these respondents, 20.8% reported they’ve used methamphetamine before. A total of 175 participants attended the second session and 109 responded to the evaluation survey (response rate: 62.3%). Among these respondents, 23.9% reported they’ve used methamphetamine before. | Guy J. Thomas, MPH; Shu Li, PhD; Kalvin Leveille MHA, MHC Candidate; Kirsten Rowe, MS; Shu-Yin J. Leung, MA | Guy Thomas, MPH |
| 02. Building the Capacity of Five NYC Clinics to Use Data-Driven Approaches to Engage Out-of-Care Persons with HIV | The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Enhanced Data to Care (eD2C) program is a cross-collaboration between the Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and STIs’ Clinical Operations and Technical Assistance (COTA) program, the HIV Epidemiology Program’s Assess. Connect. Engage (ACE) Team, and five NYC clinics (eD2C sites). This collaboration leverages HIV surveillance and clinic data to innovatively identify, efficiently outreach, and strategically re-engage persons with HIV (PWH) who are out of care (OOC), never in care (NIC), or at risk of falling out of care (RFC). Since August 2021, the eD2C model has had to iteratively adapt to meet the needs of the program and has linked over 277 people and enrolled over 203 clients to receive enhanced HIV treatment and supportive services. Enhancing the capacity of clinics to use a data-to-care approach for outreach and evidence-informed services for engagement and retention is critical to supporting Ending the Epidemic efforts. A secure, bi-directional data transfer protocol generates line lists of persons with HIV confirmed to be truly OOC or NIC, allowing eD2C sites to streamline and prioritize their outreach efforts among persons with HIV who are OOC, NIC or RFC to receive HIV care. | Lookman Mojeed, MPH; Eleonora Jimenez-Levi; Jamie Huang; Renuka Varigonda; Anthony Romano | Lookman Mojeed, MPH, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene |
| 03. Doxy-PEP Implementation: the Monroe County Sexual Health Clinic Experience | Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy-PEP) has been shown to reduce incident syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia by up to two-thirds in cisgender men and transgender women who have a history of an STI, and partners assigned male sex at birth. Here we describe the implementation of this new biomedical prevention strategy in a public sexual health clinic in NYS and will present data for patients entered in the doxy-PEP program from July 2023 – November 2023. | Daniela E. DiMarco, MD, MPH; Kathy Carelock, BNS; Marguerite A. Urban, MD | Daniela DiMarco, MD, MPH, University of Rochester School of Medicine |
| 04. When Second-Line is the Only Option: Treating Syphilis during the Benzathine Penicillin Shortage | Syphilis cases in the US and NYS are increasing, with an alarming rise in cases of congenital syphilis resulting from untreated syphilis infections during pregnancy. Benzathine penicillin (BPCN) is the gold standard for treatment of syphilis and the only recommended treatment in pregnancy, and we are currently in a global shortage of this medication. This presentation includes a report on a new syphilis treatment follow-up protocol during the benzathine penicillin shortage. | Daniela E. DiMarco, MD, MPH; Kathy Carelock, BNS; Marguerite A. Urban, MD | Daniela DiMarco, MD, MPH, University of Rochester School of Medicine |
| 05. Oral Health Preceptorships: A Holistic Approach to Addressing the Oral Health Needs for People with HIV | The oral health needs of People with HIV may be missed if the provider is ill-equipped to identify specific oral conditions and/or the patient presents with complicating co-morbidities. Through a Minority AIDS Initiative grant from the Northeast/Caribbean AETC at Columbia University, the NYSDOH AIDS Institute’s Oral Health Resource Center offers an oral health preceptorship program (OHPP) to licensed dentists and dental hygienists in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. We conducted a qualitative evaluation with program participants and concluded that the OHPP is an effective model to building a stronger HIV oral health workforce. | Laura E. O’Shea, MPH, Christopher M. Ferraris, LMSW, Stephen N. Abel, DDS, MSD | Laura O’Shea, MPH, New York State Department of Health, AIDS Institute |
| 06. “Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) individuals’ mental health needs in a LGBTQIA+ center in Bronx, NY: Differences between HIV-/HIV+ clients | This brief report is reflective of a quantitative research study based on the exploratory research of Destination Tomorrow clients and their mental health needs. Destination Tomorrow is an LGBTQIA+ organization located in the Bronx, NY. The randomized study of 80 participants with a focus on 49 clients who are HIV negative (n=22), positive (n=24) and unknown status (n=3) known to the organization meaning they are enrolled in support services programming. The study focuses on the mental health needs in areas of depression, anxiety, and suicide. In this poster presentation there is a focus on questions 5, 6 and 9. The poster presentation is focused on three questions from the 13-question survey. | Eishelle Tillery, Director of Support Services MSW, DSW Candidate Tulane University | Eishelle Tillery, MSW, Director of Support Services, Destination Tomorrow |
| 07. Increasing Hepatitis C Care for People Who Use Drugs in a Harm Reduction Setting | People who use drugs often face barriers receiving Hepatitis C care. REACH Medical is a community-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization that utilizes a harm reduction approach to increase services to people who use drugs. | Jasmine Myrick, MS, EMT-B; Arsalan Ali; Sohrab Zand, MBBCH; Matt Dankanich; Judith Griffin, MD | Jasmine Myrick, MS, EMT-B |
| 08. ESCALATE: Building Equity with an Anti-Stigma NYC Team | HIV stigma is associated with poorer health outcomes including lower rates of treatment seeking, treatment adherence and viral suppression. Reducing stigma in the populations we serve is an essential step to end the HIV epidemic. The NYC DOHMH’s stigma-reduction team joined the HRSA-sponsored ESCALATE project in 2021, working with the National Minority AIDS Council to develop the following goals: Develop an anti-stigma framework; engage service providers in the ESCALATE project; examine Ryan White data collection practices and participate in an organizational self-assessment. The NYC ESCALATE team adopted the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework, adapted it to HIV and collected resources to support the framework, including articles authored by our team members. This framework has subsequently been adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We are currently working to engage our Ryan White/EHE service providers in the ESCALATE project and, to this end, have presented at service provider and HIV Planning Council meetings. In addition, we have met with HRSA staff to explore ways in which Ryan White data can be collected in a less stigmatizing way. Finally, eleven staff participated in the first facilitated ESCALATE Organizational Self-Assessment (EOSA), the results of which were discussed and documented. The EOSA results and ESCALATE work confirmed that as a large public health organization, work is siloed, and there is a need for more formal policies regarding HIV stigma and further collaboration on stigma work being performed. Our team has recently joined the ESCALATE Learning Collaborative, which we hope will strengthen our anti-stigma work. | Julia Cohen, MSS; Jill Williams; Daniel Jung Hahn; Billy Fields; Kimbirly Mack; Grace Mackson, MPH; Lookman Mojeed, MPH | Julia Cohen, MSS, NYC Department Of Health and Mental Hygiene, Grace Mackson, MPH, NYC Department Of Health and Mental Hygiene |
| 09. Viral Load Suppression by Race/Ethnicity Among People Served by AIDS Institute Funded Supportive Housing Initiatives | AIDS Institute-funded Supportive Housing Initiatives provide permanent, affordable housing options for People Living with HIV (PLWH) who are unhoused or at risk of losing housing. This poster presents evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of the AI-funded Supportive Housing Initiatives in aiding Black and Hispanic PLWH, who are disproportionately impacted by the HIV Epidemic and homelessness, to achieve viral suppression post-enrollment into stabilizing housing programs. Research demonstrates that lack of stable housing is a formidable barrier to consistent and effective engagement in care at each point in the HIV care continuum. PWLH who lack stable housing are less likely to achieve sustained viral suppression. | Cindy Ravida; Kathleen Ide; Sherry Piscitella; Jason Pendergast | Cindy Ravida; Kathleen Ide, New York State Department of Health-AIDS Institute |
| 10. Leveraging EHR modifications, routine screening, and patient navigation to integrate comprehensive prevention services for underserved populations at risk for HIV | To address disparities in new HIV diagnoses and PrEP utilization, our clinic adapted routine HIV screening to identify clients at risk for HIV who may benefit from comprehensive prevention services (CPS). We modified the electronic health record (EHR) system to send Patient Navigators an automated weekly report of clients who had a negative HIV screening test and a positive STI test in the past 12 months. Navigators outreached those identified in the report to provide PrEP and PEP education and to facilitate linkage to services. These systemic changes enabled us to connect underserved populations at risk for HIV to comprehensive HIV prevention services. | Alexis K Fields, MPH; Eusica Edmond-McBean, MPH, CHES; Steven Rose, MPM; Ivan Ortiz; Tracey Griffith, MHA; Jessica E Yager, MD, MPH | Alexis K. Fields, MPH; Eusica Edmond-McBean, MPH, CHES |
| 11. Multi-level factors influencing oral PrEP uptake, adherence, and sexual risk among brown and black men with heterosexual contact in NYC | This qualitative study explores multi-level factors influencing oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake, adherence, and sexual risk among Black and Latinx men with heterosexual contact in New York City. The key findings include low sexual health literacy and high levels of HIV stigma among participants, varying attitudes towards PrEP between PrEP users and non-users, trust as a key determinant for sexual health decision making, the influence of hegemonic masculinity norms around HIV susceptibility and sexual behaviors, and participation in multiple, diverse sexual networks. Our findings point towards interventions at the patient-provider level (discussions around sexual health decision-making, on-demand PrEP, directly asking about sexual networks) and the necessity for research that understands how relational dynamics, hegemonic masculinity, and mixed social networks impact sexual risk behaviors among men with heterosexual contact in the United States. | Ohshue S. Gatanaga, BA; Dalila Victoria Lanza, MPH; Robert Pitts, MD; Ronald S. Braithwaite, MD; Sahnah Lim, PhD, MPH, MIA. | Ohshue S. Gatanaga, BA; Dalila Victoria Lanza, MPH |
| 12. Automating ACCESS: Collaborating with community agencies and using automation tools to deliver HIV testing to college students | College students aged 16-24 in the United States experience some of the highest rates of HIV and are vulnerable to contracting and transmitting the virus, with 20% of new cases of HIV in 2020 occurring among young adults aged 13-24 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023). First-generation college students of color experiencing health disparities and those with intersecting marginalized identities, such as LGBTQ+ students, are at disproportionally higher risk for negative health outcomes (CDC, 2020). Prominent barriers to testing and treatment for college students include HIV-related stigma and a lack of knowledge about HIV transmission. Therefore, it is critically important to explore innovative solutions to increasing access to HIV education, testing, and treatment services for college students. The proposed presentation outlines the innovative HIV and STI testing initiative undertaken by Project ACCESS at the University at Albany, SUNY. Project ACCESS is a comprehensive prevention initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to increase access to testing and treatment for HIV and Viral Hepatitis (VH) among minoritized college students. Guided by feedback from students, Project ACCESS developed and launched an innovative automated HIV and STI testing appointment scheduling system. The system employs easy-to-use, cost-effective automation tools such as Calendly to allow students to anonymously schedule discrete on-campus testing appointments with community providers. A replicable flow chart for implementing similar innovations in diverse settings to increase access to HIV and HCV testing and linkage to care will be presented. | Evan E. Ozmat, M.S; Jessica L. Martin, Ph.D; M. Dolores Cimini, Ph.D; | Evan Ozmat, M.S, University at Albany, SUNY |
| 13. Data-Driven Efforts to Address Health Disparities: Using the New York Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR) to Fine-Tune Mpox Vaccine Outreach | In May 2022, the sudden introduction of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) among networks of MSM and transgender and gender-diverse people in the United States required a timely response by HIV prevention and treatment providers, including the STAR Program in Central Brooklyn, NY. This poster will graphically demonstrate the outcomes of STAR's two-year initiative intended to address disparities in mpox vaccine uptake and demonstrate the value of cross-referencing patient data with the New York Citywide Immunization Registry to assess follow-up needs. | Simon Korotzer-Mariani, Oberlin College, and Lori Hurley, PhD, MPH, MSW | Lori Hurley, PhD, MPH, MSW |
| 14. Rapid-TX: An Essential Tool in Ending the HIV Epidemic | RAPID Tx has been an important tool at our clinic as a means of providing our patients with access to antiretroviral medications to treat HIV. We present data from the past five years on the effects RAPID Tx has brought upon our patients. | Jason Leider, MD, PhD, FACP, AAHIVS; Penelope Demas, PhD; Brian Tong, PharmD, AAHIVP; Bimbla Felix, LMSW; Rufina Clement, BSCH; Geraldine Moncion, MSW | Brian Tong, PharmD, Jacobi Medical Center; Bimbla Felix, LMSW |
| 15. Utilizing Information Technology to Bring Out of Care HIV-Positive Patients Back into the Healthcare System | The New York-Presbyterian ETE HIV/HCV Rapid Response Team works with a Tableau data dashboard to pull relevant patient information to determine HIV-Positive patients who have fallen out of care. The team then initiates outreach efforts to bring patients back into the healthcare system. | Anne Mattson, MPH; Josh Klein; Carlos Duran; Caitlyn Howell; Darrin Maxwell; Lauren Pitt; Sarah Rosenwald; Joshua Villanueva; Tiffany Sturdivant-Morrison, MPH; Caroline Carnevale, DNP; Dr. Jason Zucker, MD; Dr. Peter Gordon, MD | Anne Mattson, MPH; Josh Klein |
| 16. COVID-19 Anxiety and Using Substances to Cope: Differences Across Race and Gender in a New York State College Student Sample | This poster discusses the impact of COVID-19 on using substances to cope in a diverse college student sample. Our findings indicate significant differences across race and gender identities in types of substance use, experiences of related problems, and reports of using substances to cope with stressors from the pandemic. We discuss how a “one size fits all” prevention strategy is insufficient in addressing students of marginalized backgrounds' unique needs. | Cara L. Fresquez, MAC-P; Jessica L. Martin, PhD; M. Dolores Cimini, PhD; Laura Longo, PhD | Cara L. Fresquez, MAC-P |
| 17. Together We Can: Partnering to Close Sexual Health Practice Gaps among NYS Clinicians Caring for Adolescents | Sexual health needs of adolescents and young adults (AYA) continue to evolve in the current socio-political climate. To meet this demand, the NYS AIDS Institute Clinical Education Initiative Sexual Health Center of Excellence partnered with the University of Rochester Medical Center Division of Adolescent Medicine with a goal of increasing the knowledge/comfort of NYS clinicians caring for AYA with sexual health, gender health and eating disorder needs. They developed content, informed by a needs assessment and delivered in a virtual format with a variety of speakers (including those with lived experience), allowing for clinician capacity-building and dissemination in an accessible way. | Erica A. Bostick, MD; Jessica L. VanScott, MPH; Marguerite Urban, MD; Daniela DiMarco, MD, MPH | Marguerite A. Urban, M.D, University of Rochester School of Medicine |
| 18. Hepatitis B and C Local Health Department Needs Assessment Survey: Identifying Challenges to Case Ascertainment and Investigation | Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV) case ascertainment and investigations are conducted by the local health departments (LHDs) in New York State (NYS) to quantify and characterize the population of newly reported cases. These activities are imperative to identifying disparities among those impacted by HBV and HCV. Surveillance data with incomplete race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy status, and risk factor information present challenges for accurately characterizing newly reported cases and identifying disparities. To identify key challenges and training needs LHDs face with respect to case ascertainment and investigations, an HBV and HCV Surveillance LHD Case Investigation Practices and Training Needs Assessment Survey was disseminated to the 57 counties in NYS outside of New York City. An 89.5% survey response rate was achieved, with over 90% of responding LHDs reporting that delayed or non-response from medical providers made timely and complete HBV and HCV case investigations challenging. Other key challenges identified were patient loss to follow up to the medical provider (68.6% HBV, 78.4% HCV) and incomplete contact information for the patient (62.8% HBV, 76.5% HCV). Identified helpful training topics included provider case interview (66.7%) and clinical presentation and biomarkers of HBV (92.2%). Identifying key challenges and training needs of LHDs will inform the development of education and training materials designed to facilitate timely HBV and HCV case ascertainment and investigations. Timely and complete surveillance data allows for accurate identification of health disparities, and allows for data-driven, evidence-informed practices and policies to be implemented. | Guy J. Thomas, MPH; Lindsey M. Hutchison, MS; Daniel Frederick, MPH; Kirsten Rowe, MS; Shu-Yin J. Leung, MA; Colleen Flanigan, RN, MS | Lindsay Hutchison, MS, Evaluation Specialist, New York State Department of Health, AIDS Institute |
| 19. Bridging Access to Care Through Marketing, Social Media & Digital Outreach | "Bridging Access To Care Through Marketing, Social Media & Digital Outreach" focuses on the three pillars of outreach efforts via social media networking. Those three pillars are: Awareness, Outreach and Conversion. My poster will give a glimpse of the marketing strategies we use at Trillium to attract new clients, as well as build relationships in the community through our social networking, analytics, campaigns, direct communication and more. | Alexandre Burgos, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology | Alexandre Burgos, Social Media Coordinator, Trillium Health |
| 20. Onondaga County Health Department Bureau of Disease Control Sexual Health Assessment | In March of 2023, the Sexual Wellness Center began conducting a sexual health assessment of Onondaga County. This presentation represents the key findings of this project. | Sydney Gale, BA | Sydney Gale, Public Health Fellow, Onondaga County Health Department |
