Ending the HIV Epidemic in Black America: Qualitative Insights Following COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The disproportionate effects of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) on Black American communities highlight structural systems rooted in racism and must be addressed with national strategies that improve both biomedicine and social determinants of health. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the experiences and interpretations of experts in the HIV workforce (local, state, and national HIV-related organizations) regarding the state of HIV and COVID-19 among Black Americans. METHODS: Within key informant interviews and a focus group recorded and transcribed verbatim, fifteen members of the HIV workforce and Black community described their experiences and provided insights to inform ending the negative outcomes resulting from HIV and COVID-19. RESULTS: Data were analyzed using NVivo software, and eight themes emerged to address disease disproportionality through a Black lens. Themes reflected (1) accessing information and care; (2) key potential partners/stakeholders; (3) investing in Black communities; (4) governmental support; (5) increasing engagement and advocacy; (6) HIV-related community conversations; (7) developments since COVID-19; and (8) the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) trajectory. CONCLUSIONS: Themes directly speak to recommendations to adjust education and policy strategies for HIV and COVID-19 prevention and intervention. Such recommendations, (1) amplifying Black voices, (2) investing sustainable dollars into Black communities, and (3) leaning into advocacy, can bolster the foundation for the HIV workforce and Black community to break ineffective response patterns and lead the fight against these systemic issues of inequity.

We the People: A Black Strategy to End the HIV Epidemic in the United States of America.

The two previous United States presidential administrations implemented efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, recently leading to a plan to end this epidemic by 2030. Although the plan outlines a biomedical framework of key areas to address, it does not prioritize the core systemic and social issues that have caused the disease to devastate Black communities. The Black AIDS Institute (BAI) responded directly to this gap with "We the People: A Black Strategy to End HIV." BAI connected with Black community members across the country and conducted key informant interviews, held town hall meetings, and hosted a community forum in the U.S. Conference on AIDS. Based on this extensive community-level input, BAI, along with a diverse group of social justice partners, finalized the plan's strategic direction and recommendations. The efforts culminated in the "We the People" framework's four key pillars directly informing all of BAI's policy work, to include radically reimagining housing, health care, and criminalization systems that perpetuate the HIV/AIDS crisis among Black Americans. "We the People" outlines a clear path to engage policymakers and ensure all communities can effectively access and utilize the treatment and prevention advances that have the potential to soon end this epidemic..

Post-GWAS in Psychiatric Genetics: A Developmental Perspective on the "Other" Next Steps.

As psychiatric genetics enters an era where gene identification is finally yielding robust, replicable genetic associations and polygenic risk scores, it is important to consider next steps and delineate how that knowledge will be applied to ultimately ameliorate suffering associated with substance use and psychiatric disorders. Much of the post-genome-wide association study discussion has focused on the potential of genetic information to elucidate the underlying biology and use this information for the development of more effective pharmaceutical treatments. In this review we focus on additional areas of research that should follow gene identification. By taking genetic findings into longitudinal, developmental studies, we can map the pathways by which genetic risk manifests across development, elucidating the early behavioral manifestations of risk, and studying how various environments and interventions moderate that risk across developmental stages. The delineation of risk across development will advance our understanding of mechanism, sex differences and risk and resilience processes in different racial/ethnic groups. Here, we review how the extant twin study literature can be used to guide these efforts. Together, these new lines of research will enable us to develop more informed, tailored prevention and intervention efforts.