Grant: Team Grant: Boys' and Men's Health - HIV/AIDS

Despite important advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART) that have resulted in improvements in health for HIV-infected individuals and successes in HIV prevention work in the late 1990s, half of HIV new cases continue to be among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) in Canada. HIV prevalence among MSM across Canadian cities is unacceptably high, ranging from 18% in Vancouver to 24% in Toronto. The rollout of ART to everyone regardless of income and use of HIV medications to reduce new cases of HIV is prominent in BC but has not been funded as a public health policy in Quebec and Ontario. To understand how cross-provincial differences are associated with recent HIV prevalence and to address knowledge gaps in HIV prevention, we have created a national team to collaborate on HIV prevention among MSM. Our team has 3 overlapping goals: (1) Contribute to Canada's gbMSM HIV and STI prevention initiatives and promote sexual health among gbMSM; (2) Build research capacity for a pan-Canadian research network on HIV prevention research for gbMSM; and (3) Inform stakeholders and decision-makers. Our Team objectives are: 1. Conduct a national multisite study in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal on factors that affect HIV transmission among gbMSM. This study will show how these drivers vary across cities, and the influence of sociobehavioural and biomedical HIV prevention programs on HIV sexual and drug use risk behaviours. 2. Based upon the multisite study, we will develop and conduct evaluations of HIV prevention strategies for gbMSM. 3. Increase research capacity for HIV prevention for gbMSM in Canada by training community members, students, and scientists, and building research capacity in smaller cities and rural areas. 4. Increase the amount and quality of information provided by research to health providers and the community through conferences and events on HIV prevention and sexual health of gbMSM.