\u201cDr. Stephaun Wallace was a pillar of the Seattle HIV research community and a champion for community-led research,\u201d said the current director of the OCE, Louis Shackelford, MPH. \u201cThe Wallace Awards are a direct extension of his legacy and vision for science that is responsive to the needs and desires of everyday people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/em>Congratulations to our 2025 CFAR Wallace Award recipient, Elle Brooks!<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Elle has been the Director of Health Services at Seattle\u2019s LGBTQ+ Center since 2023. As Director, she has overseen multiple research projects in partnership with UW and CFAR; including ongoing quality assurance research with David Katz. While receiving their Master\u2019s in Public Health, Elle conducted qualitative research and data analysis in partnership with Africare. They gained further experience in collecting community feedback and making program recommendations based on outcomes while working for the Department of Health, O\ufb03ce of Infectious Disease.<\/p>\n The proposed project aims to design and implement a youth-led sexual health literacy education campaign for youth in Seattle. The project will engage young people as co-creators in designing culturally relevant educational materials. The long-term objective is to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and empower youth to make informed decisions about HIV prevention and treatment.<\/p>\n As Principal Investigator, Elle will seek to determine major knowledge gaps for STI, HIV and other aspects of sexual health for youth in the Seattle-King County Area and to understand how and where youth consume healthcare by administering knowledge surveys and focus groups. Utilizing the results from the surveys and focus groups, they will develop a community-informed sexual health knowledge campaign for youth with the Seattle LGBTQ+ Center\u2019s Youth Advisory Council (YAC). This well-established group of youth will participate in co-design sessions, peer review, and outreach planning.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a strong, well-designed, community-engaged proposal that places youth at the center of both research design and implementation,\u201d said Steven Sawyer, executive director of the\u00a0People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN)\u00a0and co-founder of Pacific Northwest Black Pride.\u00a0\u201cThe integration of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) as co-designers demonstrates genuine community ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n As a recipient of a Wallace Award, Elle will be offered prioritized consideration for CFAR training opportunities.\u202f They will also gain access to UW\/Fred Hutch CFAR resources, including public health-focused workshops\/webinars and select courses taught by CFAR researchers while completing their projects.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/cfar\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/elle-brooks-300x119.png\")
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