“If you know your HIV status, you can protect yourself and others,” said Ryan Combs, PhD, MA, assistant professor, University of Louisville School of Public Health & Information Sciences and Commonwealth Institute of Kentucky scholar. “Everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should get tested for HIV at least once. If you are HIV positive, there are treatments that can help you live a long and healthy life.”

Combs, along with other public health faculty and students, community members, and health care and public health professionals, developed the ‘We’re in Control Now’ campaign, utilizing community-based participatory research. Residents are invited to join the conversation on social media using #CTRLNow.

The messages, communicated through radio ads, posters in West Louisville bus shelters and social media, encourages members of the African American community to seek out free HIV testing through the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, 502-574-5600, or Volunteers of America, 502-635-4505.

“People living with HIV are valued members of the community. In some ways, HIV stigma can be worse than the disease itself,” Combs said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 1 in 20 African American men will be affected by HIV compared to 1 in 132 White men, and an estimated 1 in 48 African American women will experience HIV compared to 1 in 880 White women.

HIV is one of several topics Combs and his research team have explored since 2017 as part of the health literacy research project funded through the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence. Other topics include .Ìę

The HIV campaign continues through Feb. 7, National African American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. It also coincides with various events throughout Louisville, including the HIV Monologues on Feb. 9 at Hotel Louisville. The event is an outgrowth of UofL’s Cooperative Consortium for Transdisciplinary Social Justice Research initiative that worked with actors and a group of older HIV positive African Americans to develop monologues focusing on the experiences of the HIV positive. For more information, .

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), safer sex, protective devices and preventive treatments can reduce the spread of HIV. PrEP involves a daily pill, Truvada, which, when combined with safer sex techniques, can reduce the risk of HIV transmission up to 92 percent.

The University of Louisville and Project Compassion are hosting the free Women’s PrEP Summit, June 27, from 5:15 to 8 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church. The goal of the event is to educate women about their risk of HIV and empower them with the knowledge to prevent infection.

“Even one woman contracting HIV in our community is one too many,” said Karen Krigger, MD, director of health equity in the UofL Health Sciences Center Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Those at the event will receive information on PrEP, including how to get it and how to pay for it, as well as safer sex instructions and tips for using both female and male condoms. HIV testing and treatment information also will be available. June 27 is designated National HIV Testing Day.

Also available will be education about sexually transmitted diseases and information on post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which can help prevent infection up to 72 hours after HIV exposure through sexual contact. IV drug users and their partners can obtain information about needle exchange and reducing risks from sharing needles.

Individuals at risk of getting HIV include:

• Anyone who does not know if their partner has HIV or is being faithful
• Anyone who has a partner with HIV
• Anyone who uses IV drugs or their partner uses IV drugs
• Anyone with multiple sexual partners

Women’s PrEP Summit

June 27, 5:15 to 8 p.m., Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3640 River Park Dr., Louisville, KY 40211

The freeÌęevent includes dinner and childcare with registration. Transportation may be available with early registration, which can be done online or by calling 502-852-7181.

This event is sponsored by Project Compassion, Redeemer Lutheran Church, University of Louisville Health Sciences Center Office of Diversity and Inclusion, UofL HSC students, Volunteers of America, Kentucky AIDS Alliance, Louisville Metro Department of Health and Wellness, UofL LGBT Center, UofL School of Nursing and School of Public Health and Information Sciences, and other supporters.

Also on this edition of UofL Today with Mark Hebert, Jelani Kerr from the School of Public Health looks at HIV rates in African-Americans and whether they’re tied to America’s drug policy.

Watch their interview in the video below:

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Listen to the .

The funding has been awarded to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Department for Public Health HIV/AIDS Services Branch, Ryan White Part B program and contracted to the UofL School of Dentistry.

UofL’s Community Based Dental Partnership Program (CBDPP), is one of only 12 Ryan White CBDPP federally-funded oral health programs in the United States, and the only one in Kentucky.

The two-year grant will allow for increased access to oral health care services for people living with HIV, while providing education and clinical training for dental care providers, especially those practicing in community-based settings.

Dental care is one of the most common unmet needs for people living with HIV/AIDS in Kentucky. These needs include fillings, crowns and bridges, dentures and more. Ìę

“Patients who have issues with their teeth begin to limit the types of food they eat. This can result in malnourishment, which in turn affects the absorption of HIV medications. The end effect is a more compromised immune system,” said Catherine Binkley, DDS, MSPH, PhD, associate professor, Department of Surgical and Hospital Dentistry, and program director for the Ryan White CBDPP.

“Social interactions also can be negatively impacted by poor oral health. Patients with fractured or missing teeth all too often limit educational and career seeking opportunities, as well as withdraw from friends and group scenarios. Restoring teeth for patients in all these situations impacts their lives in major ways. We want to help our patients put their lives back together and become part of society by providing a new smile,” Binkley said.

The dental school first received funding from the Kentucky HIV/AIDS Branch Ryan White Part B program for a six-month pilot in January 2014. The purpose of this funding was to expand the reach of oral health services and create a statewide network for improving access to comprehensive oral health care and improved oral health outcomes for individuals living with HIV/AIDS enrolled in the Kentucky Ryan White Part B program.

Based on the success of the pilot program, the UofL School of Dentistry’s CBDPP was awarded a $1.2 million 2-year state contract in 2014-2016, and has now received $2 million for 2016-2018 to continue serving the oral health needs of Kentuckians living with HIV/AIDS. Last year, the UofL program performed more than 6,000 procedures for nearly 600 HIV/AIDS patients.

“I’m very excited to participate in the Cyber Mentors program, as it provides a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow as an early-career researcher,” said Kerr, who joined the UofL faculty in 2014.

The initiative is designed to advance the research careers of behavioral and social scientists who examine HIV/AIDS and health disparities among people of color and other communities disproportionately affected by the virus. The program matches protégés with senior researchers who are leaders in the field of HIV/AIDS research and have received National Institutes of Health-supported grants.

The two-year program involves e-collaboration and distance learning to help protégés achieve three goals:

• Develop and implement a career development plan
• Submit a research application to an appropriate funding source
• Establish a supportive professional network with common research interests

Kerr’s mentor, University of Alabama at Birmingham Professor of Health Care Organization and Policy Janet Turan, PhD, MPH, conducts research on HIV-related stigma among various populations both domestically and internationally.

Kerr has served as co-investigator on a number of grants, including four from the Canadian Institute for Health Research. His research focuses on sexual health and HIV/AIDS disparities of racial/ethnic minority youth.ÌęIn particular, he investigates the individual and structural factors that affect sexual health, and how these translate into increased HIV risk. He also examines primary and secondary care-engagement behaviors for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.ÌęAs a result of his findings, Kerr works with youth and community-based agencies to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities.

He most recently published a study in the , a publication of the International Academy of Sex Research. The research investigated partner selection and sexual networking as potential contributors to HIV vulnerability.

A 2009 PhD graduate of the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health in the discipline of Health Promotion, łÉÈËֱȄ & Behavior, Kerr is a member of the American Public Health Association and its Black Caucus of Health Workers.