R3EDI - Rigorous, Rapid, & Relevant Evidence aDaptation & Implementation to EHE

MODIFIED PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT SECTION Although effective prevention and treatment tools are available to end the HIV epidemic, their impact on reducing HIV incidence, morbidity, and mortality in the US has been limited by challenges identifying and deploying these tools in a feasible, acceptable, and sustainable way. Implementation science (IS) is a vital tool to overcome these challenges. Thus, increasing IS capacity to engage the community and rigorously plan, evaluate, and monitor implementation is critical to achieving EHE goals. To provide the resources outlined in the NOSI and support the Coordination, Consultation, and Data Management Center (CCDMC), the R3EDI (Rigorous, Rapid, & Relevant Evidence aDaptation & Implementation) IS consultation hub to EHE will provide advanced expertise in IS methods and community-engaged research (CEnR) using an innovative cross-cutting approach. We will draw on significant experience from our prior successful R3EDI Hub EHE Supplements and continually adapt to the evolving needs of end-users and the EHE initiative. Specifically, the R3EDI Hub will (1) provide technical assistance and coaching to assigned EHE project teams, (2) develop targeted technical resources and mentoring for HIV researchers and implementers, (3) collaborate with the CCDMC on cross-hub activities and evaluation, and (4) create opportunities to translate local knowledge into generalizable knowledge. We will leverage the outstanding environment and investigators at Yale’s Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science (CMIPS) and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) to create a resource & consultation hub accountable to the community, the CCDMC, and EHE goals. Activities to support these aims include: (1) providing consultations on IS methods and CnER; (2) developing and delivering innovative webinars, resource materials such as IS dissemination templates, workshops on key topics such as Community-based Participatory Research for IS (CBPR-IS), and mentoring (early stage investigators, implementing partners, students); (3) documenting and synthesizing cross-hub learnings, (4) conducting systematic reviews, developing a contextual variables database covering all 57 EHE jurisdictions, and continuously evaluating and improving our services. The R3EDI Hub has assembled an exceptional team of principal investigators, co-investigators, and community consultants to contribute expertise in IS methods, frameworks, strategies, measures, and outcomes in HIV/AIDS research; quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods analytic approaches; partnership formation, and CBPR. The R3EDI Hub’s activities will maximize the rigor, rapidity, and relevance of IS in EHE projects, build capacity in CEnR and IS methods, support implementing partners, increase the rigor of contextual variables research as applied to the EHE initiative, strengthen dissemination of research results to community, policy, and academic audiences throughout the research process; facilitate effective coordination and collaboration with the CCDMC; and produce generalizable knowledge leading to future grants, high impact, peer-reviewed publications, and better evidence for policy.