Reaching Out to HIV-Infected and At-Risk Youth in Boston

Fenway Health is reaching out to Boston-area HIV-Positive and At-Risk Youth as part of the Adolescent Trials Network.

In the United States, 34% of all new HIV infections occur among young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years old. In Massachusetts, HIV infections among people between the ages of 13–24 years old account for about 12% of all new infections. In the midst of these alarming statistics, Fenway Health is proud to be the only site in New England that is a member of the Adolescent Trials Network (ATN); a national network sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development with programs specifically designed to reach out to HIV-infected and at-risk youth.

If you or someone you know is interested in either 1.) participating in a research study or 2.) participating in the youth community advisory board, please contact Emily George at 617.927.6246 for more details.

As an ATN site, Fenway is reaching out to Boston youth in two important ways. First, we have begun conducting biomedical and behavioral research aimed at improving services for HIV-infected youth and reducing HIV transmission among youth who are at risk. Secondly, we have launched Connect to Protect® (C2P)—a community-based research initiative that seeks to reduce HIV/AIDS rates among adolescents and young adults through collaborative efforts of communities and local health researchers. The ultimate goal of C2P is to reduce HIV incidence and prevalence in Boston’s youth (ages 12–24) through community mobilization and structural change.

Additionally, Fenway launched their first-ever Youth Community Advisory Board (CAB). This board is exclusively made up of young people (ages 12–24) who meet monthly at Fenway. The CAB seeks input from youth in the community in order to accurately reflect the interests of youth participating in the ATN. During these meetings, young people review research protocols and provide feedback that goes directly to the national level to help design new studies and programs specifically for HIV-infected or at-risk youth.

As the face of HIV/AIDS research grows more complex, encompassing work on treatments for the virus as well as methods to prevent individuals from becoming infected, Fenway has remained a steady pioneer in discovering new strategies in this field. We are honored to be a part of a larger network aimed specifically at changing the face of HIV among young people. We hope you’ll join us.