Grant: Team Grant: HIV/AIDS and STBBI Community-Based Research - General Key Pop. - LOI

There are significant disparities in new HIV diagnoses among Black communities in Canada, particularly in Ontario, where Black people made up 4.7% of the population but accounted for about 25% of new HIV diagnoses in 2022. Despite the availability of a highly effective HIV prevention medication called PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which can reduce the risk of HIV by over 99% with high adherence, its uptake among Black Canadians is low. Only 5% of eligible Black Canadians is using PrEP, according to 'I'm Ready', a national HIV self-testing program. The barriers to PrEP use include lack of awareness, acceptance, and access to the medication. To address these issues, a community-based research team aims to work with various stakeholders, including researchers, people with lived experience, AIDS Service Organizations, clinical and service providers, and Black-led organizations across Canada. Our goal is to increase PrEP awareness, acceptance, and access within Black communities. Our team will use community engaged research approaches and implementation science principles to achieve the following objectives: 1.Identify community needs, resources, and priorities 2.Co-create effective interventions with community input 3.Develop community capacity for implementing selected interventions 4.Implement, monitor, and evaluate interventions Over the past five years, our team has developed partnerships with key stakeholders in Black communities across Canada to address HIV-related disparities. Our initiatives include the 'I'm Ready' self-testing program, a PrEP decision support tool, and capacity-building training for providers to better engage and retain Black gbMSM (gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men) in PrEP care. This project, stemming from extensive community engagement, further aims to reduce HIV incidence and disparities by enhancing self-testing, care linkage, PrEP and Antiretroviral treatment uptake and use in Black communities across Canada.