Dr. Amico has actively contributed to the development and implementation of health promoting interventions for over a decade, with specific emphasis on HIV treatment and engagement in care and HIV prevention. In these areas, Dr. Amico has interest and experience in measurement, methodology, design, and analytic strategies used to characterize the influence of social and contextual variables on decision making and behavior. She has collaborated with a number of teams working within and outside of research networks to enhance delivery of adherence support and HIV prevention counseling, promote engagement in HIV care, and strengthen existing site- and team-level capacities to implement best counseling/engagement practices while maintaining fidelity to rigorous research protocols.

Areas of behavioral and social science expertise include:

• Domestic and International
• HIV-prevention (counseling and PrEP)
• Placebo controlled PrEP trials
• Linkage to care theoretical models, intervention, and measurement approaches
• Retention in care theoretical models, intervention and measurement approaches
• Antiretroviral adherence theoretical models, intervention and measurement approaches
• Protocol and procedures: development, manualization, training and implementation support for multisite trials
• Research design: Design, measurement and analytic approaches for social behavioral studies and sub-studies

Dr. Michele Andrasik works to address psychosocial and structural factors associated with HIV risk and STI disparities among marginalized communities in the US. Dr. Andrasik has a doctoral degree in Clinical Health Psychology from the University of Miami and is an expert in Community-Based Participatory Research and Qualitative methods. She is also Core Faculty in the Fred Hutch/UW Center for AIDS Research Socio-behavioral Prevention Research Core.

Areas of behavioral and social science expertise include:

• Community Based Participatory Research Approaches
• Qualitative Methods
• Behavioral Risk assessment theoretical models and measurement approaches
• Intimate Partner violence theoretical models, intervention and measurement approaches
• Cultural Responsiveness/Humility theoretical models and intervention

Dr. Balán is a Clinical Psychologist whose work as a clinician and researcher in HIV-related issues spans 25 years. Over the past 10 years, his work has focused on behavioral aspects of biomedical HIV prevention products including HIV self/partner testing and adherence to investigational products such as the dapivarine ring, rectal microbicides, and oral PrEP among MSM and women in domestic and international contexts. The adherence related work was part of trials conducted by the Microbicides Trials Network, for which Dr. Balán developed and implemented evidence-based adherence counseling interventions to support product use and was a part of the behavioral teams that conducted qualitative and quantitative assessments of acceptability and behavioral aspects of product use.

Areas of behavioral and social science expertise include:

• Assessment of adherence 
• Triangulation of adherence data
• Development and implementation of adherence and linkage-to-care interventions
• Quantitative and qualitative assessment of HIV product acceptability
• Mental health assessment

Dr. Steven Safren is engaged in a variety of studies related to behavioral aspects of HIV prevention and treatment both domestically and internationally. He has served as a lead behavioral scientists in several network studies including ACTG5175, HPTN052, HPTN063 (protocol chair), and HPTN083. Dr. Safren has successfully designed and tested key evidenced-based adherence interventions both for HIV ART, as well as PrEP, and frequently works at the interface of HIV-related health behavior change and behavioral health.

Areas of behavioral and social science expertise include:

• Interventions to improve adherence to and engagement in HIV care
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Assessing and decreasing the burden of mental health, substance use, and other syndemics as barriers to self-care
• Health behavior change for MSM and other populations affected by HIV
• Behavioral Medicine Interventions for health promotion
• Assessment of adherence
• Behavioral science research design in the context of biomedical trials related to HIV treatment and prevention

Dr. van der Straten is an expert in female-initiated HIV-prevention methods. Her research focuses on acceptability and adherence to new biomedical HIV-prevention methods and multipurpose technologies for contraception and HIV prevention. She has led or participated in the development and implementation of major research projects in Africa and the U.S., including clinical trials of diaphragm and gel, vaginal rings, oral, injectable and topical pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Dr. van der Straten has led research studies on end-user acceptability, preference and adherence in the context of PrEP or MPTs. For over seven years, while at RTI International, she also led the development of a biodegradable implant, as an end-user informed long-acting HIV drug delivery platform. She recently joined the USAID funded MATRIX R&D collaborative as a consultant to the Prime (Dr. Sharon Hillier, at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA, USA). 

Areas of expertise:

• Female-initiated HIV-prevention methods
• Adherence
• Qualitative methods\mixed method research
• Product development
• End user research
• MPT (multipurpose prevention technologies – specifically HIV and pregnancy prevention)