New NIH/NIDA Award for HIV Prevention

We are pleased to announce that emPath technologies will partner with Duke University on an R34 grant funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)/NIH to study technology-enabled pathways to expand access to PrEP innovations among people who use substances.

There's tremendous interest in bringing long-acting injectable PrEP—now dosed as infrequently as every six months—out of the clinic and into the community. With this funding, the study team will spend the next two years adapting the emPath platform prototype paired with a community-partnered care model, to support delivery of long-acting injectable PrEP in outreach settings serving people who use drugs. The study will refine both the technology and field protocols to support everything from screening and insurance eligibility to medical evaluation, mobile-unit injections, and follow-up care - all with a continuous community-engaged co-design approach. The study will then pilot this community-based model in Durham, combining clinical-outreach partnership, mobile unit and telemedicine visits, and accessible digital communication and technology-enabled wraparound support to lower the barriers to care.

You can read more about the NIH grant here: https://reporter.nih.gov/search/zDfSaUPHLEq3o3YgERsxuA/project-details/11325640