Mapping Community-Engaged Implementation Strategies with Transgender Scientists, Stakeholders, and Trans-Led Community Organizations

Arjee Restar; Brian J Minalga; Ma Irene Quilantang; Tyler Adamson; Emerson Dusic; Leigh-Ann van der Merwe; Greg Millet; Danvic Rosadiño; Tanya Laguing; Elle Lett; Avery Everhart; Gregory Phillips 2nd; Rena Janamnuaysook; Pich Seekaew; Kellan Baker; Florence Ashley; Jeffrey Wickersham; Stephaun E Wallace; Don Operario; Kristi E Gamarel

doi:10.1007/s11904-023-00656-y

Mapping Community-Engaged Implementation Strategies with Transgender Scientists, Stakeholders, and Trans-Led Community Organizations

Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2023 Jun;20(3):160-169. doi: 10.1007/s11904-023-00656-y. Epub 2023 Apr 4.

Authors

Arjee Restar^{1

2}, Brian J Minalga³, Ma Irene Quilantang⁴, Tyler Adamson⁵, Emerson Dusic⁶, Leigh-Ann van der Merwe⁷, Greg Millet⁸, Danvic Rosadiño⁹, Tanya Laguing^{9

10}, Elle Lett¹¹, Avery Everhart¹², Gregory Phillips 2nd¹³, Rena Janamnuaysook^{14

15}, Pich Seekaew^{14

16}, Kellan Baker^{5

17}, Florence Ashley¹⁸, Jeffrey Wickersham¹⁹, Stephaun E Wallace^{3

20}, Don Operario²¹, Kristi E Gamarel¹²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, USA. [email protected].
² Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA. [email protected].
³ Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
⁴ Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA.
⁵ Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁶ Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, USA.
⁷ Social, Health and Empowerment Feminist Collective of Transgender Women of Africa, East London, South Africa.
⁸ The Foundation for AIDS Research, amfAR, amfAR, Washington, D.C, USA.
⁹ LoveYourself Inc, Manila, Philippines.
¹⁰ DIOSSA Inc, Taguig, Philippines.
¹¹ Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
¹² Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
¹³ Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹⁴ Institute of HIV Research and Innovation, Bangkok, Thailand.
¹⁵ Tangerine Community Health Clinic, Bangkok, Thailand.
¹⁶ Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
¹⁷ Whitman-Walker Institute, Washington, D.C, USA.
¹⁸ Faculty of Law and Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
¹⁹ Section of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
²⁰ Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
²¹ Department of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences, Emory Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) represents one of the most effective methods of prevention for HIV, but remains inequitable, leaving many transgender and nonbinary (trans) individuals unable to benefit from this resource. Deploying community-engaged PrEP implementation strategies for trans populations will be crucial for ending the HIV epidemic.

Recent findings: While most PrEP studies have progressed in addressing pertinent research questions about gender-affirming care and PrEP at the biomedical and clinical levels, research on how to best implement gender-affirming PrEP systems at the social, community, and structural levels remains outstanding. The science of community-engaged implementation to build gender-affirming PrEP systems must be more fully developed. Most published PrEP studies with trans people report on outcomes rather than processes, leaving out important lessons learned about how to design, integrate, and implement PrEP in tandem with gender-affirming care. The expertise of trans scientists, stakeholders, and trans-led community organizations is essential to building gender-affirming PrEP systems.

Keywords: Gender-affirming care; HIV prevention; Implementation; Nonbinary; PrEP; Transgender.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Anti-HIV Agents* / therapeutic use
Epidemics*
Gender Identity
HIV Infections* / drug therapy
HIV Infections* / epidemiology
HIV Infections* / prevention & control
Humans
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis* / methods
Transgender Persons*

Substances

Anti-HIV Agents

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding