Table 2.

Currently funded eHealth for HIV Prevention studies (NIH Reporter and conference abstracts)

Primary Investigator Organization Name	Funding period	Project Abstract	Target population	eHealth mode(s)	Cascade stage
Cohen MIRIAM HOSPITAL	2011–13	Vigorous Mind 4.0 uses a computerized system to promote treatment adherence for those with substance use disorders via enhanced cognitive functioning (cognitive exercises, organizational tools) training. 3 month pilot study (n=50) will compare intervention with standard of care control.	HIV+ with substance use disorders	Web	ART adherence
Boyer UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER	2011–15	iHAART delivers personalized adherence interventions with content and “dose” that adapt in real time to variable medication adherence in HIV+ stimulant users (methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA). 3 month pilot study to test functionality and acceptability.	HIV+ stimulant users	Smartphone App	ART adherence
Brown RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL	2012–15	Medication monitoring device (Vitality Cap) integrated with an interactive app/game. Opening the medication bottle gives access to the app game. The game integrates health information (knowledge about HIV treatment), motivation, and skill-building. Intervention will be tested in a pilot RCT (n=60). Primary outcomes: medication adherence and biological measures.	HIV+ youth	Smartphone App, gaming	ART adherence
Gonzalez CUNY GRADUATE SCH AND UNIV CTR	2012–15	Pilot testing of a smartphone app for sexual and reproductive health information and push messages versus self-directed app use for increasing dose. Primary outcomes: increased knowledge and utilization of services such as PEP, Plan B, HIV, STD, and pregnancy testing, and to other social services, such as substance abuse treatment.	Black and Latina women, age 18–25	Smartphone App	Primary acquisition HIV testing
Kirk JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY	2012–15	eMOCHA: (electronic Mobile Open-source Comprehensive Health Application) app assists peer navigators (former IDUs currently in HIV care) to deliver individually-tailored interventions to HIV+ IDUs out of care for >1 year. Ecologic momentary analysis assesses clinic attendance, adherence, drug cravings, and stress then triggers either: phone call/visit from a peer navigator or automated, context- specific text message	HIV+ IDU, out-of-care	Smartphone App	Linkage to care Retention in care ART adherence
Himelhoch UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND	2013–15	HEART to HAART (Helping Enhance Adherence to Retroviral therapy using Technology): provides real-time information on adherence, periodic assessment of medication side effects, depressive symptoms and drug use and tailored education, recommendation and encouragement. Participant and adherence team jointly adherence in real-time. 6 month pilot test planned (n=50) comparing intervention with smartphone control.	HIV+ drug users	Smartphone	ART adherence
Reback COG ANALYTICS, LLC	2013–15	Project aims to translate “Getting Off: A Behavioral Treatment Intervention for Gay and Bisexual Male Methamphetamine Users” into a computerized app to reduce methamphetamine use and HIV sexual risk behaviors and increase antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication adherence. Study will pilot test the intervention prototypes	Gay and Bisexual Male Methamphetamine Users	Smartphone App	Primary acquisition ART adherence Secondary transmission
Horvath UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA	2013–16	ART adherence intervention app: tailored informational messages, a motivational personal intervention guide, medication reminders, ART and drug use self-monitoring, self-reflection and strategy rehearsal. Pilot RCT testing (n=76) with primary outcomes: app component use, percent of ART doses taken, rating of suggested strategies to overcome adherence barriers, experiences of drug cravings and use of stimulants.	HIV-positive stimulant- using MSM	Smartphone App	ART adherence
Horvath UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA	2014–17	App to facilitate regular HIV testing through: regular assessment of risk behaviors via personal profile, recommended HIV test frequency based on individual’s risk patterns and profile, GPS- enabled HIV testing location finder, and motivational messages addressing critical barriers to testing. Pilot RCT test (n= 120) to assess primary outcome: increased HIV testing.	HIV-negative/unknown MSM	Smartphone App	HIV testing
Pillai CAPITAL TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION SERVICES	2014–15	Smartphone app to promote HIV care and prevention services. Will be pilot tested with target population in Baltimore.	Urban young MSM	Smartphone App	(unclear) Mentions all stages of the cascade
McNulty CAKTUS CONSULTING	2014–16	“Epic Allies” is a mobile phone app that utilizes game mechanics and social networking features to improve and optimize linkage to HIV care and ART uptake and adherence. App will be tested in a RCT through 14 sites of the Adolescent Trials Network (n=300). Outcome measures: engagement with medical providers, medical appointment consistency, ART uptake, adherence, viral suppression, CD4 count.	HIV+MSM, age 18–30	Smartphone App, interactive gaming, social networking	Retention in care ART initiation ART adherence
Cruess UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS	2010–14	This study will develop and pilot RCT test an internet-delivered risk reduction intervention for HIV-positive MSM who use the Internet to meet potential sex partners. Primary outcomes: behavioral risk and Internet use outcomes.	HIV+ MSM	Web	Secondary transmission
Mustanski NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO	2012–17	Keep It Up! (KIU!), an online HIV prevention program tailored to ethnically diverse YMSM. KIU! is based on the Information- Motivation-Behavior Skills model of HIV risk behavior change and informed by principals of E-learning. Pilot RCT had high retention and a significant 44% decrease in UAI. This study will test KIU! in a multisite RCT (n=750) for primary outcomes: UAI and STD incidence.	Young MSM	Web	Primary acquisition
Hirshfield PUBLIC HEALTH SOLUTIONS	2014–16	Online videos for HIV prevention about UAI, HIV disclosure, and testing partnered with POZ.com. RCT found significantly reduced UAI and significant increases in HIV status disclosure. Current RCT (n= 1500) will edit the 3 HIV prevention videos into 10 short online sessions (including boosters), improve retention with incentives and a proven online platform, and conduct cost-effectiveness analyses for averted HIV infections.	Virally unsuppressed HIV+ MSM	Web	Secondary transmission
Hightow-Weidman UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA	2012–16	“healthMpowerment.org”: a mobile phone and internet-based intervention that provides information, resources, tailored feedback, gamification, and platforms for social support. Currently undergoing a state-wide RCT in North Carolina (n=474). Outcomes: reduced UAI past 3 months (primary), depression, social support, viral load/CD4, adherence, testing, HIV knowledge, substance use.	Black MSM and TW, age 18–30	Mobile optimized web, gaming, social networking	All stages of cascade
Koblin NEW YORK BLOOD CENTER	2013–17	Internet-based testing intervention optimized for mobile devices to provide men with a tailored recommendation of their optimal HIV testing approach. Pilot RCT to assess primary outcome of increased HIV testing.	Young, Black MSM	Mobile optimized web	HIV testing
Tulsky UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO	2011–16	Teach and train newly diagnosed HIV infected individuals to utilize deployed internet and cellular technologies and develop novel applications to assist with linkages to care and improve treatment outcomes. Primary outcomes: referrals and follow through with appointments, retention in care and the initiation and sustaining of ART.	Newly HIV diagnosed in safety net care settings	Web+App	Linkage to care Retention in care ART initiation ART adherence
Mitchell UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE	2014–16	Web-based prevention toolkit: modules to guide creation of an explicit sexual agreement that integrates interval testing for HIV/STDs and prevention messaging, interactive website and smartphone app with GPS resources for HIV/STD testing and free safer sex supplies. Pilot RCT (n= 160) to assess primary outcomes of: forming and adhering to a sexual agreement, increased HIV/STD testing, decreased UAI with casual partners.	HIV-negative male- male couples practicing UAI	Web+App	Primary acquisition HIV testing
Sullivan EMORY UNIVERSITY	2014–16	Development of support for home-based HIV testing system in support of PrEP including specimen self-collection using mail-in kits; online smartphone or SMS assessment of medication adherence and sexual behavior risk; and video/telephone counseling support.	MSM	Web+App	Primary acquisition HIV testing
Rosser UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA	2010–15	Men’s Internet Study - MINTS-III - aims to increase the long-term effectiveness of MINTS-II (Sexpulse, an online, HIV prevention intervention for Men who use the Internet to seek Sex with Men) by strengthening the dosage of Sexpulse via tailored feedback on individual risk behavior; integrated research surveys; and follow-up boosters and test Sexpulse 1.1 in two RCTs (n= 1000 high-risk MSM and n=500 no/low-risk MSM)	Men who use the Internet to seek Sex with Men	Web 2.0/social media	Primary acquisition
Young UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES	2010–15	Intervention to test the use of online social networks to scale peer community leader models to increase HIV prevention. Pilot study primary outcomes: increased testing and HIV prevention behaviors.	African-American and Latino MSM	Web 2.0/social media	Primary acquisition HIV testing
Rhodes WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES	2011–15	“CyBER/testing” is a chat room intervention to increase HIV testing. Primary outcome: self-reported HIV testing at immediate post- intervention.	MSM	Web 2.0/social media	HIV testing
Washington CALIFORNIA STATE UNIV. LONG BEACH	2012–15	Exploring an HIV Testing Intervention Model (TIM project): Facebook “like” site will feature videos to encourage HIV testing plus social networking features to host discussions among the intervention group about HIV testing uptake and testing sites, drug use and sexual risk behavior. Will be tested in a pilot RCT.	Black MSM, age 18–30	Web 2.0/social media	HIV testing
Clark UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES	2014–17	“TransPrEP”: Social network intervention to promote PrEP adherence via individual counseling, group workshops, adherence support tools. Structured social media platforms to educate, motivate, and promote discussions of PrEP adherence, unstructured participant- generated interactions to reinforce new social norms within the network. Pilot RCT (n=8 social network-based clusters) primary outcome PrEP adherence.	Transgender women in Lima, Peru	Web 2.0/social media	Primary acquisition
Blacks tock ALBER EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE	2014–19	“Sisters-GPS”: intervention to improve ART adherence adapted from the group clinical visit model and incorporating social media. Pilot RCT with primary outcome of ART adherence; secondary outcomes HIV viral load and health care utilization.	HIV+ African American and Latina women	Web 2.0/social media	Retention in care ART adherence
Patel ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE	2014–19	“E-PrEP”: a social media-based peer-led intervention to promote PrEP uptake via online messaging and discussions directed by peer leaders to provide education on PrEP, increase interest in PrEP use, and facilitate access to PrEP. Pilot RCT to assess feasibility and preliminary efficacy for increasing self-reported intention in and uptake of PrEP.	Men of color who have sex with men, age 18–29	Web 2.0/social media	Primary acquisition
Merchant RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL	2014–16	Study aims to evaluate use of a social-networking website to facilitate HIV testing and dissemination through an RCT. Primary outcomes: testing uptake, time to initiation of testing, and whether participants invite their ‘online’ or ‘offline’ contacts to use this new type of test.	Black, Hispanic, and white MSM, age 18- 24	Web 2.0, social networking	HIV testing
Miller UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	2008–15	SOLVE (Socially Optimized Learning in Virtual Environments) integrates cognitive approaches with affect- based and reactive risky decision-making processes, providing experience with risk cues in a safe, virtual environment. RCT being conducted online: testing and risk situations using Intelligent Agent and Gaming technologies. Primary outcomes: UAI change with casual partners. Significant 3- and 6- month findings to date.	MSM, age 18–24	Virtual reality	Primary acquisition HIV testing
Fiellin YALE UNIVERSITY	2009–15	Retro-Warriors’ study will adapt existing software for an interactive video game designed to decrease HIV risk by teaching sex, drug and alcohol negotiation and refusal skills. Intervention will be tested in an RCT (n=330) with primary outcome: initiation of sexual activity; secondary outcomes: HIV risk behavior knowledge, social competency, self-efficacy, drug/alcohol use behaviors and overall risk-taking behaviors.	Minority youth, age 9–14	Interactive gaming	Primary acquisition
Enah UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	2012–15	Study will develop a prototype for an individually tailored, electronic HIV prevention adventure game designed to improve decision- making and learn behavioral strategies that assist with avoiding sexual risk behaviors. Intervention prototype will be tested (n=40) for acceptability and relevance.	African American rural youth, age 12–14	Interactive gaming	Primary acquisition
McLaughlin RADIANT CREATIVE GROUP, LLC	2012–15	It’s Your Game- Family’: online game intervention provides age- appropriate sexual health life skills education and training for children and to enhance parents’ skills in support of this training. Supports ongoing pregnancy and HIV/STD prevention education. Study will develop and test IYG-F in a pilot RCT in 80 homes. Primary outcomes: children: intentions for abstinence, psychosocial determinants of sexual behavior, adults: psychosocial determinants regarding parent-child sexual health communication and parental monitoring, beliefs about youth sexual behavior, both: increased sexual health communication.	Children, age 11–14 and their parents	Interactive gaming	Primary acquisition
McDaniel VIRTUALLY BETTER, INC.	2014–16	“Tough Talks” will be an internet-delivered software program with intelligent virtual character-driven scenarios focused on increasing skills associated with disclosure of HIV status.	HIV+ young MSM	Virtual reality	Secondary transmission

IDU Injection drug user; RCT randomized controlled trial; HIV+ HIV-infected; MSM men who have sex with men; STD sexually transmitted infections; UAI unprotected anal intercourse