Access to HIV prevention and treatment services in California
Stefano M. Bertozzi, Professor
Public Health
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2025 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2026.
In 2022, there were an estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV and 31,800 new HIV infections in the United States. The U.S. HIV epidemic disproportionately affects men who have sex with men and is defined by persistent racial/ethnic disparities. We have two ongoing projects evaluating access to HIV prevention and treatment services in California:
1. PrEP in community pharmacies: California was the first state in the U.S. to pass legislation giving pharmacists the authority to independently prescribe pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention. Pharmacy-based PrEP provision may reduce barriers to and inequities in PrEP uptake and continuation among people who could benefit. We are conducting large-scale implementation research in a broad sample of California pharmacies to understand whether this legislation achieves its intended impact and to reveal the next steps for enhancing PrEP access through pharmacies.
2. Continuity of HIV care following community re-entry: Upon release from prison, people living with HIV may encounter significant heterogeneity in the process and support systems to successfully link to quality HIV care in the community. Understanding the barriers to and facilitators of re-engagement in care after incarceration is essential to ensure equitable access to lifesaving treatment. We are documenting recent trends in continuity of care among people living with HIV before and after release from prison with the goal of strengthening ties between HIV care and re-entry professionals and bolstering engagement in care.
Role: Specific tasks will depend on student skills and interests. Assignments may include:
● Cleaning and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data
● Survey design and piloting
● Assisting with the development of research protocols, manuscripts, infographics, and/or presentations
● Literature review
Students will gain applied experience in epidemiologic research design, data analysis, and dissemination of findings.
Qualifications: This position is ideal for students with strong communication and time management skills who are detail-oriented, organized, and interested in research on HIV prevention. The following attributes are an advantage but are not required:
● Coursework or applied experience in epidemiology, research design, biostatistics, and/or data science
● Proficiency with R or equivalent software for data cleaning, analysis, and visualization
● Knowledge of geospatial analysis, stated choice methods (e.g., discrete choice experiments), and/or qualitative research methods
● Familiarity with survey design and distribution in REDCap
● Experience conducting literature reviews
● Strong writing skills
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Lauren Hunter, Post-Doc
Hours: to be negotiated
Off-Campus Research Site: The work will be predominantly remote with online meetings over Zoom.
Related website: https://californiapharmaciststudy.com/publications/
Biological & Health Sciences Digital Humanities and Data Science