Yale University

HIV Implementation Science to Optimize Research Impact (HISTORI)

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Mission: The HIV Implementation Science to Optimize Research Impact(HISTORI) ScientificCongress aims to help Black communities in the United States end the HIV epidemic by providing an inclusive, self-directed platform for Black investigators to connect, learn and engage in collective advocacy.
 

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2023 Scientific Congress Meeting

The 2023 HISTORI Scientific Congress was a multi-culturally affirming, self-determined forum for Black investigators involved in research that contributes to ending the HIV epidemic in Black communities in the United States. The event was co-chaired by Dr. Ijeoma Opara and Dr. Stephaun Wallace, with special support from Dr. LaRon Nelson. The Congress was held from 7-8th June 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia, hosted by NAESM as part of its 2023 National Leadership Conference. Over 75 Black investigators, activists, and community members from across the country came together to collectively engage in priority setting, knowledge exchange, and capacity building. The event further built on the HISTORI network of passionate researchers, community advocates and leaders in academia, community settings, health service organizations and industry motivated to bring an end to HIV in Black communities.

Congress Day 1 - NIH grant review panel session

NIH grant review panel session

The Congress began with a warm welcome from Dr. Ijeoma Opara (Assistant Professor of Public Health, Yale University) and Dr. LaRon Nelson (Professor, Yale School of Nursing). This was followed by a capacity-building panel session on "Insights into the NIH grant review process". The panel included Dr. Typhanye Dyer, Dr. Donte Boyd, and Dr. Michelle Andrasik. The first day concluded with a networking reception where attendees had the opportunity to interact with one another and develop new partnerships.

On the second day, Dr. Opara and Louis Shackelford (on behalf of Dr Stephaun Wallace) jointly welcomed attendees and officially launched the congress. Justin Smith (Director of the Campaign to End AIDS at Positive Impact Health Centers) led an interactive workshop session on "Implementation science through the lens of health equity" where attendees had the opportunity to share their ideas on how HIV implementation science can be reimagined through an antiracism lens. Following this session, three community members (D'Jamel Young, Alphonso Mills and Danielle Warren-Diaz) and one researcher (Dr. Cristian Chandler) shared their experiences on being on community advisory boards (CAB) and working with a CAB, respectively.

Congress Day 2 – group photo of attendees

group photo of attendees

Next, in the spirit of reimagining scholarly collaboration, four individuals (Dr. Gamji Rabiu Abubaare, Dr. Veronica Brady, Danielle Warren-Diaz and Dr. Marissa Robinson) participated in an open peer-review session by presenting their project/research ideas with congress attendees for feedback. The day concluded with a discussion led by Dr Rasheeta Chandler on the challenges of HIV implementation science in the US and globally.

This event was made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of

Inaugural 2022 Congress Meeting

The HISTORI Scientific Congress was a multi-culturally affirming, self-determined forum for Black investigators involved in research that contributes to ending the HIV epidemic in Black communities in the United States. The event was convened by a group of thirteen leaders in the fight against HIV in black communities and took place in June 2022 in Dallas, Texas. It was graciously hosted by Dallas Southern Pride as part of the launch of their annual Juneteenth Unity Weekend celebration. The congress brought together over 50 Black investigators from across the country to collectively engage in priority setting, knowledge exchange, research methods capacity building, and science generation. It established a network of passionate researchers, community advocates and leaders in academia, community settings, health service organizations and industry motivated to bring an end to HIV in Black communities.

Inaugural Congress Proceedings: Strategies and Urgent Research Priorities to End the HIV Epidemic in Black Communities

A synthesis of insights shared by members of the HISTORI network regarding research priorities and strategies to end the HIV epidemic in Black communities in the United States

Download Here

 HISTORI Congress Proceedings thumbnail

HISTORI Group Photo Day 1
Pre-Congress Workshop Attendees

The gathering began with a warm welcome from co-convener Dr. LaRon Nelson (Associate Professor of Nursing and Public Health at Yale University), which was followed by pre-congress workshops that introduced attendees to implementation science strategies and methods. Yale University's Dr. Donna Spiegelman, Director of the Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science, shared principles, frameworks and design methodologies central to implementation science research. We built on this momentum with a workshop on qualitative research methodologies focused on integrating text-based chatting apps in data collection led by Dr. DeAnne Turner, Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida and Dr. Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS. Gilead Sciences provided guidance and resources on helping community organizations and clinics optimize the implementation of rapid ART and PrEP protocols. The first day concluded with a reception where attendees had the opportunity to network with one another and develop new partnerships.

On the second day, co-conveners Dr. Stephaun Wallace (Director & Staff Scientist at the HIV Vaccine Trials Network and Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research) and Dr. Ijeoma Opara (Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Public Health) jointly welcomed attendees and officially launched the congress. Participants were eager to dive into facilitated discussions around urgent research priorities for ending the epidemic in Black communities. The remainder of the morning was spent in breakout groups where attendees applied their varying expertise and put identified priorities into action through rapid science generation. Teams of investigators developed innovative HIV implementation science project ideas ranging from increasing utilization of community liaisons to using digital platforms to provide culturally-appropriate care.

Next up was a panel discussion on HIV Prevention Trials Network Project 096: Building Equity Through Advocacy, a sixteen-site implementation science study designed to reduce HIV incidence among Black MSM in the U.S. South. Moderated by co-convener Dr. Donaldson Conserve (Associate Professor at George Washington University), the panel featured insights from co-convener Dr. Mandy Hill (Associate Professor at UTHealth Houston), Melissa Curry and Ian Haddock. The congress closed with small group presentations and a final facilitated discussion on research and accountability.

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HISTORI Workshop Series Recordings

WhatsApp and Text-Based Chatting in Qualitative Data Collection
Date: July 15, 2022
Presenters: DeAnne Turner, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, at the University of South Florida College of Nursing & Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong, PhD, MPH, MA, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Yale University Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA)

Introduction to Implementation Science and Methods
Date: July 28, 2022
Presenter: Dr. Donna Spiegelman, Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Biostatistics; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health; Director, Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science; Director, Interdisciplinary Research Methods Core, Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS; Assistant Cancer Center Director, Global Oncology, Yale Cancer Center

Using Multiphase Optimization Strategy Design in Implementation Research
Date: August 1, 2022
Presenter: Dr. Raul U. Hernandez-Ramirez, Associate Research Scientist in Biostatistics (Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science); Associate Director, Interdisciplinary Research Methods Core, Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

This event was made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of:

2022 Congress Conveners:

  • Marlon M. Bailey, Washington University St. Louis
  • Oni Blackstock, Health Justice
  • Donaldson Conserve, George Washington University
  • Redd Driver, Columbia University
  • Typhanye Dyer, University of Maryland, College Park
  • Mandy J. Hill, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston
  • Christiopher Hucks-Ortiz, HIV Prevention Trials Network Black Caucus
  • Craig Hutchinson, HIV Prevention Trials Network Black Caucus
  • LaRon E. Nelson, Yale University
  • Onyema Ogbuagu, Yale University
  • Ijeoma Opara, Yale University
  • Darren L. Whitfield, University of Maryland Baltimore
  • Stephaun Wallace, HIV Vaccine Trials Network