Lay person support to help people with HIV in rural areas reach viral suppression
Official title: A hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial of lay person support to improve HIV viral load suppression in rural communities
Funded at Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ · NIH-11515745 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A community-based program trains lay providers like community health workers and traditional healers in rural Uganda to help people with HIV start and stay on treatment to achieve viral suppression.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | February 15, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $242,311 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH132440-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11515745 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults living with HIV in rural settings who have disengaged from care or are ART-naïve and are served by traditional healers or lay providers.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without access to or engagement with lay-provider networks may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project tests a lay-provider model in rural Uganda where traditional healers and other lay staff assist people living with HIV to connect to care, start ART, and stay adherent. Building on a prior trial that increased HIV testing, the study adapts the approach to support ART initiation, adherence counseling, and retention in care. The intervention is delivered by trained traditional healers, with the goal of improving viral suppression among disengaged or ART-naïve individuals. Outcomes will reflect how well the model improves linkage to care, ART uptake, and sustained treatment in a rural, low-resource setting.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could reduce HIV viral loads in rural communities and shorten time to ART initiation for disengaged patients.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work showed that lay-provider partnerships increased HIV testing uptake and linked patients to care, supporting the promise of this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sundararajan, Radhika Lu — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Sundararajan, Radhika Lu
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.