Eric Houston named principal evaluator of new HIV prevention program

Illinois Tech Assistant Professor of Psychology Eric Houston has been named the principal evaluator of a new intervention program through the Brothers Health Collective (BHC), a community-based HIV treatment and prevention organization on Chicago’s south side.

This month BHC has launched a series of weekend retreats in Illinois aimed at young African American men living with HIV. The intervention, which is funded by the CDC through the Illinois Department of Public Health, is designed to strengthen the health status of these young men—many of whom are out of care or not in care. Houston—whose research focuses on health disparities, treatment motivation and adherence—will assess the implementation and outcomes of the initiative. CDC-funded efforts aimed at Latino young men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender individuals in Illinois are being developed by other community-based agencies as well.

The BHC intervention corresponds to a new public health strategy to control the HIV epidemic by linking individuals to treatment following an HIV diagnosis and retaining them in care. MSM—particularly young MSM of color—face among the lowest rates of treatment initiation, engagement with care, and treatment adherence. The partnership allows BHC to access the research expertise of Illinois Tech in addressing this major public health concern.