Program seeks Council approval for an initiative titled “Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN)”. Youth continue to be disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic concentrated in specific populations, communities, and geographic areas across the United States. In In 2018, youth aged 13–24 years made up 21% of the 37,832 new HIV diagnoses in the United States and dependent areas. Youth with HIV are the least likely of any age group to be retained in medical care and have a suppressed viral load. Furthermore, youth experience worse HIV outcomes on HIV status awareness, pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake for prevention, and health outcomes. Indeed, the HIV National Strategic Plan designates youth as a priority population to focus efforts and resources for the greatest impact on reducing disparities and improving HIV outcomes. Such priority among youth who are medically marginalized, of low socio-economic status, sexual and gender minority, and/or of racial/ethnic minority constituency is more critical with the compounded disparities and disenfranchisement from COVID-19.
The goal of this initiative is to develop and conduct innovative behavioral, community-based, translational, therapeutic, microbicide and vaccine trials in youth aged 13 to 24 years, at-risk for HIV and living with HIV, with a focus on the inclusion of minors. A network of investigators with innovative approaches and advances to address the public health issues facing adolescents will lead the field with a broad array of interventional studies, aimed at the reduction of new HIV infections among youth at-risk for HIV and improvements in outcomes across the HIV care continuum among adolescents and young adults living with HIV.
This proposed concept aligns with several NICHD Strategic Plan Themes: Improving Adolescent Health and Transition to Adulthood; Cross-Cutting areas of disease prevention, infectious disease, and health disparities.
This proposed concept aligns with the NICHD Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch research priority on HIV: Adolescent Prevention.
This initiative addresses several Office of AIDS HIV/AIDS research priorities: Reduce the Incidence of HIV, Address HIV-Associated Comorbidities, Coinfections, and Complications, and Advance Cross-Cutting areas of research.
Program Contact
Sonia Lee
Maternal & Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch (MPIDB)
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