Why is this work needed?
Across HIV and sexually transmitted infections, the real-time understanding of the transmission networks of recently infected individuals is vital for the rapid diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of new cases.
This data will provide insight into how the disease is transmitted, which populations are at highest risk, and who should be targeted for intervention.
Partner Services
Partner Services is a foundational public health response shown to be highly effective at slowing the spread of HIV. Unfortunately, as corroborated by our team’s preliminary needs assessment, the implementation of Partner Services by public health departments is often a challenge.
Role of Tech
Due to these challenges, many public health departments rely on low-technology solutions that are not only tricky for interviewers, but are also difficult to integrate into existing data systems.
Missed Opportunities?
This represents a missed opportunity for public health officials who would benefit from access to local real-time data that would enable the targeting of the most at-risk populations.
Leveraging our Software
Our team has already produced a free and open source software suite to simply network data collection for researchers. Within this project we are now exploring how Network Canvas might be useful as a tool for public health.
Our Aims
Characterize Partner Services Needs
We wanted to characterize the needs of public health departments conducting Partner Services and develop a detailed specification of the software reconfiguration necessary to meet those needs.
Reconfigure Network Canvas
We wanted to understand what changes we need to make to the user interface of Network Canvas, as well as understand how we might need to rethink the way that Network Canvas is deployed and integrates with existing public health data systems.
Conduct a Pilot Implementation
We wanted to pilot the use of a version of Network Canvas within Partner Services at a single health department (Chicago) in order to demonstrate feasibility, acceptability, and gather preliminary evidence of efficacy.
Project Details
This is an NIH/NIDA funded R34 project (R34DA052216).
We have developed strong relationships with local and national advocates who can extend our understanding of Partner Services, provide feedback on our plan, facilitate dissemination, and guide potential scale-up.
Project Team
Network Canvas
Advisors
Bernie Hogan
Scientific Advisor
Matt Golden
Scientific Advisor
Nanette Benbow
Scientific Advisor
David Kern
Scientific Advisor
Howard Brown Health
Phillip Prado
Associate Director of Public Health Interventions
Martin Martinez
HIV/STI Partner Services Manager
Luis Perales
Partner Services Specialist
Louis Spraggins
Partner Services Coordinator