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School of Public Health
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School of Public Health
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CHIBPS

Current Research

GIVES

Full Name:  Guns and Interpersonal Violence Experiences among Sexual and Gender Minorities (GIVES)
Institution: Rutgers School of Public Health
Funding: Rutgers New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center
Multiple Principal Investigators:  Kristen D. Krause, PhD, MPH, & Christopher Stults, PhD, MS
Description: There is an emerging body of literature highlighting the impact of gun violence on the general population. However, there is a dearth of research regarding how gun violence is enacted among SGM, especially in New Jersey and surrounding areas, despite evidence that SGM are more likely to experience IPV than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. The goal of this mixed-methods study is to collect pilot data on the role of guns in occurrences of interpersonal violence (IPV) among sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in order to address current gaps in the literature. The specific aims of this study are to: 1) describe the intersection of gun access, possession, and violence with interpersonal partner violence among SGM in NJ, NY, and PA using semi-structured interviews; 2) assess the extent to which gun access, possession, and/or violence victimization/perpetration is explained by (a) sociodemographic factors and (b) history of IPV victimization and/or perpetration among SGM in NJ; and 3) understand the role of mental health, substance use, and psychosocial factors in relation to gun access, possession, and/or violence victimization/perpetration among SGM in NJ, NY, and PA.
Click 
here to learn more about this study and see if you’re eligible to participate.

Project HATCH (HPV and Trans Community Health)

Full Name: A mixed-methods exploration of human papillomavirus prevention, screening, knowledge, and risk among transgender individuals in New Jersey
Funding: New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research (NJCCR); New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science (NJ ACTS)
Principal Investigator: Caleb LoSchiavo, MPH
Co-Investigator: Perry Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH
Description: The purpose of this mixed-methods research study is to explore how transgender adults in New Jersey experience healthcare related to human papillomavirus (HPV). The information from this project will allow us to better understand the barriers and facilitators to transgender individuals’ engagement with HPV-related healthcare, and will inform development of interventions to increase uptake of HPV-related cancer prevention through screening and vaccination. The specific aims of this study are to: 1) assess barriers and facilitators to HPV prevention and care through qualitative interviews; 2) describe state of HPV prevention, care, knowledge, and risk factors through quantitative surveys; and 3) identify demographic, psychosocial, behavioral, and transition-related correlates of HPV prevention, care, knowledge, and risk through quantitative surveys.
Learn more: Click here to learn more about this study and see if you are eligible to participate.

HIV-HPV CARE (Control, Awareness, Research, and Eradication) Study

Full Name: HPV prevention, testing, and follow-up care among individuals at risk for or living with HIV in Newark, New Jersey
Institution: Rutgers School of Public Health
Funding: New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research (NJCCR)
Principal Investigator: Kristen D. Krause, PhD, MPH
Co-PI: Adana Llanos Wilson, PhD, MPH & Jennifer Tsui, PhD, MPH
Co-Investigators: Perry Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH; Peter Oates, RN, MSN, NP-C, ACRN; Caleb LoSchiavo, MPH
Description: In the proposed pilot study, we will address gaps in knowledge around HPV testing in high-risk, vulnerable populations in New Jersey, through the following aims: 1) Determine the prevalence and patterns of HPV prevention, testing and follow-up among individuals at risk for or living with HIV and assess acceptability of self-collected oral, anal, and cervical samples for HPV testing in Newark, New Jersey; 2) Examine HPV infection prevalence and distribution of type-specific HPV infection among oral, anal, and cervical specimens collected through self-sampling among in individuals at risk for or living with HIV in Newark, New Jersey; and 3) Assess patterns of and barriers/facilitators to follow-up care after HPV testing for individual at risk for or living with HIV within HIV clinics in Newark, New Jersey.