Fall 2024 Journal Club Series 1/3: Alcohol and substance use diagnoses among HIV-positive patients receiving care in NYC clinic settings
| Date | November 1, 2024 |
| Time | 1:00 to 2:00 PM EST |
| Lead Discussant | Sitaji Gurung, MD, MPH, PhD (Check out Health Sciences Department Faculty Profile) |
Description:
The first session of the Fall 2024 Journal Club Series will focus on the importance of screening for substance use in HIV-positive patients, especially those with poor health outcomes.
Learn how to:
- Read and analyze medical research
- Understand the prevalence of substance use diagnoses in HIV-positive patients based on electronic medical records and group classifications
- Identify key predictors associated with alcohol and drug-use diagnoses in different patient groups within the HIV-positive population
- Recognize the relationship between substance use, viremia, low CD4 counts, and hospital stays, and how these factor vary across different diagnostic groups
- Discuss how demographic factors like age, gender, and sexual orientation influence substance use patterns within different diagnostic groups of HIV-positive patients
Who Will Benefit:
Students from all majors are welcome to attend. Students will need to read the selected article below in advance of our session. The Journal Club seeks to engage with a wide range of students including nonscience majors as well as those having science backgrounds.
Fall 2024 Journal Club Series 2/3: Marijuana and illicit drugs: Correlates of condomless anal sex among adolescent and emerging adult sexual minority men
| Date | November 8, 2024 |
| Time | 1:00 to 2:00 PM EST |
| Lead Discussant | Demetria Cain, PhD, MPH |
| Facilitator | Sitaji Gurung, MD, MPH, PhD (Check out Health Sciences Department Faculty Profile) |
Description:
The second session of the Fall 2024 Journal Club Series will explore the link between marijuana, illicit drug use, and condomless anal sex among young sexual minority men.
Learn how to:
- Read and analyze medical research
- Understand how marijuana use relates to condomless sex in young sexual minority men (SMM)
- Identify the impact of illicit drugs on condomless sex in young SMM
- compare the effect of marijuana and illicit drugs on sexual risk behaviors
- discuss HIV prevention strategies for young SMM who use marijuana or drugs
Who Will Benefit:
Students from all majors are welcome to attend. Students will need to read the selected article below in advance of our session. The Journal Club seeks to engage with a wide range of students including nonscience majors as well as those having science backgrounds.
Dr. Demetria Cain is a Research Assistant Professor at Hunter College, City University of New York and a member of the Relationship Health Research Team. Dr. Cain’s current research examines relationship factors that impact mental health, substance use, and sexual behaviors among sexual minority men and gender minority individuals. She is currently a co-investigator on two R01 randomized control trials testing couples counseling for sexual minority male couples addressing substance use and HIV sexual transmission risk behavior. For over 20 years, Dr. Cain has conducted health equity research in the US and in South Africa on a wide variety of HIV behavioral topics, including mental health and sexual health for adolescents, emerging adults, sexual minority men and transgender women, medication adherence for people living with HIV, sexual behavior counseling for STI patients, and alcohol use and related social norms in South African communities. For more information, visit the Hunter College Research Health Research Team website ( https://www.hunterrhrt.org/).
Fall 2024 Journal Club Series 3/3: Examining recruitment strategies in the enrollment cascade of youth living with HIV: Descriptive findings from a nationwide web-based adherence protocol
| Date | November 15, 2024 |
| Time | 2:00 to 3:00 PM EST |
| Lead Discussant | Sitaji Gurung, MD, MPH, PhD (Check out Health Sciences Department Faculty Profile) |
Description:
The third session of the Fall 2024 Journal Club Series will explore how digital technologies can help care providers overcome enrollment challenges for youth living with HIV in the U.S.
Learn how to:
- Read and analyze medical research
- Understand the effectiveness of digital recruitment strategies in enrolling youth living with HIV in mobile health interventions
- Identify key challenges in screening and enrolling youth living with HIV through web-based adherence protocols
- Examine the impact of expanded eligibility criteria on enrollment milestones for youth living with HIV
- Explore the role of social media, dating apps, and provider referrals in optimizing recruitment and enrollment for HIV adherence programs
Who Will Benefit:
Students from all majors are welcome to attend. Students will need to read the selected article below in advance of our session. The Journal Club seeks to engage with a wide range of students including nonscience majors as well as those having science backgrounds.
