CARES: A practical program to help adolescent girls and young women use PrEP in Africa
Official title: CARES: An adherence support intervention for multiple PREP methods among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa and Zimbabwe
Funded at Research Triangle Institute · NIH-11589304 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A program called CARES helps young women in South Africa and Zimbabwe use different PrEP options better, with counseling, reminders, and options for support.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Research Triangle Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Research Triangle Park, United States) |
| Project start | September 11, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $202,116 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH137804-03S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11589304 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adolescent girls and young women in South Africa and Zimbabwe who are currently using or considering PrEP, including injectable PrEP.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not using PrEP or without access to the care settings described may not benefit.
What this research studies
CARES is designed to be implemented in real-world clinics to support adherence to PrEP among adolescent girls and young women. It combines counseling, biomarker feedback, and a menu of strategies like support clubs, phone calls, and SMS to keep young women engaged with PrEP, including injectable options. The study will adapt CARES for real-world use, add injectable PrEP, and evaluate how well it works and how feasible and acceptable it is in actual health programs in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, CARES could improve PrEP adherence and reduce HIV risk for young women.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary studies showed higher adherence with CARES in some settings, but real-world implementation remains to be proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Research Triangle Institute
Research Triangle Park, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Roberts, Sarah Tyler — Research Triangle Institute
- Study coordinator: Roberts, Sarah Tyler
Related research
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TB PrEP: Bringing HIV prevention to households affected by TB in Uganda
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CARES: a help plan to support PrEP use for adolescent girls and young women in Africa and beyond
A real-world plan to help young women stay on PrEP and reduce HIV risk by using counseling, biomarker feedback, and flexible support options.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.