Project Grant K08AI181642

This $192,672 federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (CFDA 93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) supports Dr. Christopher Bennett, an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University, in achieving two key objectives: (1) helping emergency departments (EDs) lead efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S., and (2) transitioning from a junior investigator to an independent physician-scientist with expertise in economic analyses, implementation science, and qualitative methods.

Specifically, the grant funding will enable Dr. Bennett to: (1) investigate the cost-effectiveness of ED-based HIV screening in geographic areas targeted by the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative, and determine the incremental cost-effectiveness of HIV screening in all U.S. EDs; (2) create a typology of the HIV screening strategies used by 28 California EDs that recently received funding to implement or expand routine, opt-out HIV screening; and (3) employ qualitative interviews with frontline ED providers and individuals tested for HIV to illuminate barriers and facilitators encountered during the real-world implementation of these ED-based HIV screening programs. This work aims to identify effective strategies for making HIV screening routine in settings that serve high-risk populations, advancing the EHE initiative's goals.