Pilot Award Recipient: Carlos E. Rodriguez-Diaz, PhD

Latinxs are at disproportionate risk for HIV infection and, within this group, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) are showing an alarming increase in HIV incidence. PrEP is an effective HIV prevention practice, but understudied among GBMSM in the DC EMA, and population-specific research is needed to reduce health disparities through the implementation of culturally congruent interventions. With the goal of understanding multi-level factors that influence PrEP uptake among Latinx MSM in DC, this explanatory sequential mixed-methods research grounded in a community-academic partnership (CAP) aims to examine individual, interpersonal, and structural factors that predict PrEP uptake among Latinx GBMSM in Washington, DC and describe barriers and facilitators for PrEP uptake among Latinx GBMSM in Washington, DC. This project addresses health disparities among Latinx GBMSM in DC by providing the information needed to inform the prioritization and scale-up of evidence-based interventions, maximize the potential of PrEP, and develop culturally congruent community- and healthcare-based interventions.