The Texas Implementation Science Research Consultation Hub to End HIV

PROJECT ABSTRACT The research-to-practice gap remains a significant barrier to ending the HIV epidemic (EHE). Despite major advances in HIV/AIDS prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment, the implementation and sustainment of game-changing tools like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and the rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) continue to lag, particularly in resource-limited settings. The proposed Texas Implementation Science Research Consultation Hub (TX IS Hub) to EHE will serve as a premier resource, providing implementation science expertise in HIV/AIDS research, practice, and policy in Texas, neighboring Southern states, and nationally. Our TX IS Hub can play a particularly important role in EHE research, practice, and policy as five EHE priority jurisdictions (Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Tarrant, and Travis Counties) are in Texas. The impact of HIV is exacerbated in Texas due to several factors: the state's decision not to expand Medicaid, its fragile healthcare safety net, the highest rate of uninsured residents, and its prioritization of limited government intervention. These issues are also prevalent in other Southern states like Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Oklahoma, which face similar challenges in addressing the HIV epidemic. Therefore, there is an urgent need for enhanced IS infrastructure to combat the HIV epidemic in Texas and the U.S. South, both to contribute to EHE and to learn how to best do so in resource-constrained areas of the country by providing critical resources and consultation on HIV/AIDS implementation research, practice, and policymaking. The TX IS Hub will play a pivotal role in building cross-institutional research capacity locally and nationally. The Hub's leadership (MPI: Bala, Rodriguez, Markham), comprising expert HIV/AIDS and implementation science investigators, aims to achieve the following specific aims: 1) Synthesize and disseminate HIV-focused implementation science knowledge to researchers and practitioners using multi-modal dissemination strategies; 2) Provide coaching and technical assistance to local, regional, and national EHE researchers to incorporate rigorous implementation science in research projects; 3) Build the implementation capacity of community and clinical organizations focused on EHE in Texas; and 4) Collaborate with the Coordination, Consultation, and Data Management Center in cross-hub activities such as data harmonization, planning, and evaluation. The UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science will serve as a central repository for the resources and tools developed by the Hub, ensuring their continued availability and impact on national efforts to end the HIV epidemic.