iCARE+ program to reduce HIV in Nigerian young people
Intensive Combination Approach to Rollback the HIV Epidemic in Nigerian Youth (iCARE) Plus Effectiveness / Implementation Hybrid Study
A combined peer-support and mobile health program is being offered to help Nigerian youth—especially young men who have sex with men and transgender women—find HIV services, start treatment, and stay on medication.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11400919 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a young person in Nigeria, this program pairs you with trained peer navigators and mobile health tools to help you get HIV testing, link to clinics, start treatment, and stick with it. One part focuses on finding and linking young men who have sex with men and transgender women to services, and the other helps youth already on antiretroviral therapy (including those infected at birth) improve adherence and viral suppression. The team works with government clinics to build youth-friendly services and adapt proven peer and mHealth strategies to local needs. Researchers will track health outcomes as well as how well the program can be implemented and scaled across clinics.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Young people in Nigeria aged about 15–24, especially young men who have sex with men, transgender women, or youth living with HIV who need help linking to care or staying on treatment.
Not a fit: People older than 24, those living outside Nigeria, or those already stably engaged in care and virally suppressed may not see added benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help more Nigerian youth learn their HIV status, get on treatment sooner, and maintain viral suppression.
How similar studies have performed: Peer-navigation and mHealth approaches have shown promise in prior pilots (including the iCARE UG3 pilot) and other settings, but large-scale effectiveness and implementation in Nigeria remain under study.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, United States
- Northwestern University — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Garofalo, Robert — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Garofalo, Robert
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 below.