CFAS New Collaboration Grant Award Recipients
The New Collaboration Grant program aims to foster new collaborations between UW faculty, particularly junior faculty, and health department HIV/STI programs, health care organizations, and other organizations and agencies working in the area of HIV/STI in Washington State. These collaborations seek to augment the HIV/STI control infrastructure of the State and improve the health of Washington State residents through enhanced public health practice, clinical services, and/or research. Awards are up to $50,000 per year for up to 16 months.
2023 Awardees:
Arianna Rubin Means, PhD, MPH
University of Washington, Department of Global Health
Project Title: Optimizing Sexual and Reproductive Health Care for Safety Net Clients in South King County, WA
Community Partners: Public Health – Seattle and King County (PHSKC)
Project Description:
Publicly funded STD specialty clinics play a major role in controlling STIs, particularly for uninsured or marginalized communities, however funding for these clinics has been reduced. Safety net providers (that deliver services to uninsured, Medicaid, and other vulnerable patients), private and nonprofit clinics, and emergency rooms also provide STI screening, treatment, and SRH services, though the specific services offered and associated costs vary across service sites. Availability of services across different types of providers are not well articulated for marginalized populations, and thus there is often an absence of evidence needed to optimize resources to address unmet client needs. The objective of this project is to describe the landscape of SRH services and patient preferences for SRH care in South King County. By capturing the learnings of service providers and advice of SRH subject matter experts, as well as the preferences of diverse patients, we can identify existing strengths in service provision, key gaps, and improvements to the delivery of STI, HIV, and contraceptive services in South King County that can make most efficient use of limited resources.
Roxanne Kerani, PhD, MPH
University of Washington, Department of Medicine, Allergy and Infectious Disease Division
Project Title: A Landscape Analysis of STI and PrEP Services in Yakima County, Washington
Community Partner: Yakima Health Department
Project Description:
In 2022, the incidence of primary and secondary syphilis in Yakima County was more than threefold that of Washington State overall (90.4 vs. 24.4 per 100,000); this was the highest rate among all Washington State counties and far outpaced the incidence of syphilis in the counties with the second and third highest rates of syphilis. Reflecting patterns in other parts of WA State, in 2021, 40% of syphilis cases in Yakima County occurred among women, and the number of congenital syphilis (CS) cases in the county rose from 0 cases in 2017 to 9 in 2021. The purpose of this study is to describe the landscape of STI services available in Yakima County and factors influencing service provision, with particular attention paid to services for women and men who have sex with women. Our objective is to identify specific recommendations to improve service delivery in this high-incidence setting.
2022 Awardees:
Joanne Stekler, MD, MPH
University of Washington, Department of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Project Title: Partnering for PrEP
Community Partners: Blue Mountain Heart 2 Heart, Lifelong, and Pierce County AIDS Foundation
Project Description:
Uptake of PrEP continues to lag among Black and Latinx populations and people who inject drugs, and community organizations are best positioned to work with the communities and community members they represent. During 2022, Dr. Stekler and the UW/CFAS partnered with three organizations providing services in Washington State outside of King County: Blue Mountain Heart 2 Heart, Lifelong, and Pierce County AIDS Foundation (PCAF). Through collaborative efforts, the project will assess and improve readiness and provide technical assistance for each organization to develop plans for future PrEP clinic implementation.
Roxanne Kerani, PhD, MPH
University of Washington, Department of Medicine, Allergy and Infectious Disease Division
Project Title: A Landscape Analysis of STI Clinical Services in Spokane County, Washington
Community Partner: Spokane Regional Health District
Project Description:
Spokane County, WA is considered a high STI incidence jurisdiction, with high rates of STIs relative to both other Washington State and U.S. counties. Spokane County congenital syphilis rates in particular have been among some of the highest in Washington State in recent years, highlighting the need for investment in research and intervention development for sexual health promotion, including STI prevention services. Building on previous work with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, the study will describe the landscape of STI services available in Spokane County and factors influencing service provision, with particular attention paid to services for women and pregnant people.
Read the report of the study here.
2021 Awardees:
David Katz, PhD, MPH
University of Washington, Department of Global Health
Project Title: Evaluating the Implementation of WA State PrEP Navigation and Supportive Services
Community Partner: Washington State Department of Health
Project Description:
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) funds local agencies across the State to provide community-based HIV prevention services to people at high risk for HIV with a focus on promoting and supporting the use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. This UW-DOH joint project will evaluate the implementation of these services and compare their impacts and associated costs across program models and settings. The results will inform efforts to enhance the quality, efficiency, and impact of community-based prevention HIV services locally and support the implementation of these services in similar settings.
Roxanne Kerani, PhD, MPH
University of Washington, Department of Medicine, Allergy and Infectious Disease Division
Project Title: A Landscape Analysis of STD Clinical Services in Pierce County, Washington
Community Partner: Tacoma – Pierce County Health Department
Project Description:
Pierce County, WA has a high burden of STIs and poorer outcomes on the HIV care continuum compared to Washington over all. The study team will work with the Tacoma – Pierce County Health Department to develop a framework for a comprehensive HIV/STD service network, examine the existing local HIV/STD clinical care service network, and provide recommendations for improvements to the existing service network to improve HIV/STD clinical care and sexual health in Pierce Co.
Read the report of the study here.
Questions on the next application cycle can be sent to the Center for AIDS and STD at cfas@uw.edu and subscribe to our newsletter.