Improving HIV Therapy — The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded nearly $1 million over five years to Dr. Oni Blackstock to aid her efforts to improve health among HIV-positive women of color after they’ve been taking antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. Research has shown that HIV-positive African-American and Hispanic women often face numerous challenges sticking to their ARV drug regimens, putting them at increased risk for getting AIDS. Through her research, Dr. Blackstock plans to explore a new form of HIV intervention that combines a group clinical visit model – regular visits by a healthcare provider to a group of patients – with social media. This strategy could enhance communication, provide support and help HIV-positive women better adhere to their ARV therapy. Dr. Blackstock hopes that this approach will reduce mortality among HIV-positive women of color as well as their incidence of HIV-related infections. Dr. Blackstock is assistant professor of medicine.
Posted on: Monday, June 09, 2014