Donaldson Conserve has been awarded a 5-year grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research for a project titled “Implementation of an HIV Status Neutral Nurse-Led Intervention to Increase Equity in Clinical Outcomes for Male HIV Self-Testers in Tanzania”. This project addresses the critical need for heterosexual men in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to receive HIV care, including antiretroviral therapy (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), following an HIV self-test (HIVST). Heterosexual men in SSA are at high risk for HIV acquisition but test at lower rates than women and experience inadequate linkages to HIV care following a self-test. The project aims to evaluate the effect of an adapted nurse-led intervention on ART or PrEP initiation and retention for male self-testers and explore the facilitators and barriers to implementing the intervention. Dr. Conserve will be collaborating with Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Population Council, BRIDGE Africa, and Yale University. Read more regarding his award here.
Additionally, Dr. Conserve has received an R01 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for a project titled “Innovative Tools to Expand HIV Self-Testing and Long-Acting Injectables for HIV Treatment and Prevention Among Commercial Minibus Drivers (I-TEST LAIs)”. This project focuses on addressing the high HIV seropositivity rate among commercial minibus drivers in Nigeria, who face significant barriers to accessing HIV testing, prevention, and treatment services due to their mobile nature and demanding work hours. The I-TEST LAIs project will implement a tailored intervention that includes male peer-led distribution of HIV self-testing kits and demand creation for both oral and long-acting injectable modalities of ART and PrEP. The study aims to determine the comparative effectiveness of the intervention on PrEP uptake and HIV prevention, as well as ART uptake, retention in care, and viral suppression among minibus drivers living with HIV. The project will also assess the determinants of implementation and estimate cost-effectiveness to inform scale-up and dissemination. Dr. Conserve will be collaborating with the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Nigerian Instituted Medical Research, Wake Forest University Medical Center, Emory School of Medicine, BRIDGE Africa, and the University of Rochester School of Nursing. Read more regarding his award here.