The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) has received an R34 planning grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) at the National Institutes of Health to pilot-test an implementation strategy aligned with the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative. This $696,760 grant will fund a three-year project launched by clinical psychologist Audrey Harkness, PhD, a SONHS Assistant Professor, in July 2023.
Dr. Harkness, the principal investigator, and her interdisciplinary REACH Equity Team will analyze trial-run outcomes associated with using the JUNTOS Referral Network to improve the reach of pre- and post- exposure prophylaxis and rapid antiretroviral treatment among Latino men who have sex with men (MSM), a population that represents approximately half of all new HIV cases in Miami-Dade County.
“Dr. Harkness’s innovative work and commitment to ending the HIV pandemic is exemplified by this award from NIMH,” said Dr. Hudson Santos, SONHS Vice Dean for Research Affairs. “We are enthusiastic about her achievement and excited to see improvements in health equity for Latino MSM.”
Dr. Harkness developed the JUNTOS (Joining Under-connected Networks to Optimize Salud) Referral Network under a previous grant—in Spanish, juntos means “together” and salud means “health.” The project is an implementation strategy designed to reduce new HIV infections by improving HIV test counselors’ ability to refer and navigate Latino MSM to HIV prevention, treatment, and ancillary services, and increase Latino MSM’s demand for these services.
NIMH funding will enable Dr. Harkness and her team to conduct a pilot trial with HIV test counselors using the new JUNTOS tool. The pilot study will establish preliminary data on whether the JUNTOS Referral Network is effective at helping prevent HIV acquisition among Latino MSM and whether its implementation enhances the reach of evidence-based HIV prevention and treatment services to Latino MSM. The findings are expected to lead to a full-force hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial.
“This initiative is a great example of the holistic work we do at SONHS to transform health care and reduce health disparities in our community in direct partnership with the community,” said SONHS Dean and Professor Cindy L. Munro. “I am so proud of this recognition from the NIMH to support what Dr. Harkness and her team are doing to put an end to HIV.”
The expressed need for a local resource like JUNTOS originally came from staff at Care Resource, a community-based nonprofit health care provider. In response, Dr. Harkness and her team of academic collaborators partnered with Care Resource and the Florida Department of Health to submit an EHE administrative supplement through the Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM), which funded the JUNTOS Referral Network’s development and laid groundwork for the R34 award.
“It’s really exciting to see an idea that has come from the community be realized by the community,” said Dr. Harkness. “I think the fact that this originated with community stakeholders rather than in an academic setting makes the program’s potential sustained impact so much greater.”
Led by Dr. Harkness, the University of Miami REACH Equity Team of faculty and student investigators includes Drs. Willy Prado (SONHS), Steven Safren (College of Arts and Sciences), Susanne Doblecki-Lewis (Miller School of Medicine), and Daniel Feaster (Miller School), as well as UM doctoral student Nikki Reyes, the project coordinator. REACH has a number of community partners and stakeholders, including Jairo Farinas and Ron Ledain (Care Resource), Kira Villamizar (Florida Department of Health), and Hans Schenk (REACH Equity Team Community Advisory Board); Rana Saber, of Northwestern University, leads REACH’s technology development arm.
If you are an HIV test counselor or work in an HIV organization in South Florida and would like to get involved, please contact the team at reach@miami.edu.
About the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies
Celebrating its 75th Year of Educational Excellence, the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) transforms lives and health care through education, research, innovation, and service across the hemisphere. SONHS has grown from South Florida’s first collegiate nursing program to a world-class, research-driven, prestigiously accredited school conferring undergraduate and advanced degrees in nursing, as well as bachelor’s degrees in public health and health science. SONHS values its diverse faculty, students, and 250+ clinical and community health partners. The SONHS research core includes the Jorie Healthcare Partners Biobehavioral Research Laboratory, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre, Center for Latino Health Research Opportunities, Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training Program, and 41,000-square-foot Simulation Hospital for Advancing Research and Education (S.H.A.R.E.®). For more information, visit sonhs.miami.edu.
