PRIISE

Prevention Research and Innovations In Sexual Epidemiology

Derek T. Dangerfield II, PhD

We conduct innovative social and behavioral science using quantitative and qualitative methods in clinical, community, and virtual settings to illuminate unaddressed issues regarding race, sexuality, and health communication and improve minority health.

Message from the Principal Investigator

Dear Colleague,

It is with great pride and excitement that I welcome you to PRIISE and share the important work we do.

My interest in sexual health promotion for sexual minority men emerges from a combination of personal and professional experience. In 1990’s Baltimore City, negative messages from family, community, and society generally towards sexual minorities were salient and health care support was limited. Arguably, in many contexts globally, these issues remain unchanged and many of our community members become hurt, hopeless, and high-risk.

As an undergraduate research assistant, I formally studied how sexual health in minority communities is impacted by multilevel factors that affect people differently at particular points in their lives. I made an early commitment to develop my own program of research that addresses the diverse needs of sexual minority men along the life course globally.

The mission of PRIISE is to highlight the significance of sexual epidemiology, promote sexual health, and prevent disease through excellence in research, education, practice, and service. I hope that ultimately everyone can live healthy lives free from negative sexual stereotypes and obtain high-quality healthcare regardless of sexual orientation.

To achieve this core mission, this requires us to work together intentionally, diligently, persistently. We must enhance our approach to research and dissemination by collaborating with interprofessional teammates in community-based organizations, non-profit organizations, and advocacy groups. This inclusive approach will generate innovative and meaningful solutions, actively disseminate key findings, and engage the Community in research development, health education, and results dissemination. We cannot do this alone.

I have fostered a new relationship with my work to do more and develop a shared knowledge base that advances minority health science. I invite you to explore the research and teaching of PRIISE and join me in The Work. I hope that my passion for research excellence and health justice is more infectious than disease and that we can turn the tides together!

Welcome aboard,

~ Dr. D

Featured Research

NIH funds Black SMM-focused cohort study

Dr. Derek Dangerfield was recently awarded a UG3 award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) entitled “Identifying socioecological profiles that impact changes in care outcomes among Black sexual minority men living with HIV.” Dr. Dangerfield is collaborating with Co-PI Dr. DeMarc Hickson, Executive Director of Us Helping Us, Inc. to examine how multilevel factors impact changes in retention in HIV care, treatment adherence, and viral suppression in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region. This study is the largest longitudinal study focused on Mid-Atlantic Black SMM LWH ever conducted and fills crucial gap in efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the United States.

Black SMM want research led by Black scientists

Our studies consistently suggest that Black SMM do not fully disclose the range of their attitudes and behaviors to non-Black researchers because they believe that non-Black researchers ignore and misunderstand their experiences ^(1,^2,³⁾. They engage in our studies because our teams are led by Black/gay scientists, they trust that we conduct ethical research, and they assume that we will correctly interpret findings. This highlights the crucial role of our work at PRIISE to include expertise that responds to community preferences for cultural responsiveness, high data collection, and greater community impact.

Clinicians should use PrEP to build trust among Black sexual minority men

We published a study in AIDS Education and Prevention showing that Black sexual minority men want clinicians to use and disclose their own PrEP histories when providing recommendations in order to share reduce power imbalances and improve trust that clinicians fully understand side effects and efficacy. They agreed that “it’s better to have somebody that's going through it to explain it to you. So if they did find providers that is on PrEP, I think they will connect better with the patient.” Clinicians who could discuss personal PrEP use histories would assuage their concerns of being “guinea pigs” and build their trust in recommendations to initiate PrEP.

A scripted peer change agent improves perceived risk for Black gay men quickly

Preliminary data from POSSIBLE (NIH Grant #: K01MH11843) showed a statistically significant increase in perceived HIV risk among Black sexual minority men (SMM) after one 20-minute session with a scripted peer change agent. Additionally, 64% were willing to be referred to PrEP services after the baseline session, 45% of whom had a confirmed PrEP appointment. These preliminary data are highly promising because they suggest that a scripted PCA could improve crucial psychosocial PrEP antecedents among Black SMM quickly, leading to significant community health.

PRIISE

Message from the Principal Investigator

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