Increasing HIV testing and access to PrEP and PEP
Official title: Estimating the Impact of a Multilevel, Multicomponent Intervention to Increase Uptake of HIV Testing and Biomedical HIV Prevention
Funded at Columbia Univ New York Morningside · NIH-11397494 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project offers tools and community support to help people at higher risk get tested for HIV more often and start prevention medicines like PrEP or PEP.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia Univ New York Morningside NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $579,660 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH129198-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397494 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People in New York City who are at higher risk for HIV—such as men who have sex with men, transgender people, those with recent STI diagnoses, or anyone with inconsistent testing—are the primary candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People not at risk for HIV or those already in stable HIV care with regular testing are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this program.
What this research studies
You would be offered easier ways to test for HIV (including self-testing), online self-assessments, and help connecting to local prevention services through community organizations. The program mixes proven approaches with new tools and delivers them across community sites in New York City using different intervention combinations. The goal is to make testing every 3–6 months simpler and speed up access to PrEP or PEP when needed. If you are in a higher-risk group, these services are meant to help you stay on top of testing and prevention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make it easier for people at risk to get regular HIV tests and start PrEP/PEP sooner, reducing new infections.
How similar studies have gone: Navigation to PrEP and community testing programs have shown benefit before, but combining self-testing, self-care tools, and multilevel community delivery in this way is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia Univ New York Morningside
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Frye, Victoria — Columbia Univ New York Morningside
- Study coordinator: Frye, Victoria
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Making HIV prevention and care easier for Ugandan youth
A Ugandan study is testing ways to help adolescents and young adults (15–24) prevent HIV and stay healthy, using long-acting PrEP and youth-friendly services.
-
Innovative HIV Prevention and Care Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults in Uganda
A Ugandan research team is testing practical, youth-focused strategies to help 15-24 year-olds using HIV prevention or treatment services stay healthy and engaged in care.
-
Adolescent girls in Uganda: a long-term look at how money empowerment and family support affect HIV prevention, care, and mental health
A long-term study in rural Uganda will test whether an intervention that combines economic empowerment and family strengthening can help HIV-negative and HIV-affected adolescent girls move safely into young adulthood.
-
Long-term HIV prevention and mental health support for adolescent girls and young women in Uganda
A long-term program in rural Uganda tests if combining economic support and family strengthening helps teenage girls stay HIV-free and improve mental health as they grow into young adults.
-
Harnessing male peer networks to boost HIV testing and PrEP use
A large clinical trial in South Africa tests whether giving HIV self-test kits through male peer networks, with phone support, increases PrEP uptake among men.
-
Harnessing men's peer networks to boost HIV self-testing and PrEP use
A large project in South Africa tests whether giving HIV self-test kits through men’s social networks, with phone support, can lead to more men starting PrEP and using HIV testing.
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.