New NIH-funded research aims to prevent HIV and intimate partner violence among adolescent boys in South Africa

Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Graduate Program Director for the M.Sc. in Global Public Health Abigail Harrison will serve as a co-Investigator on new research aiming to prevent HIV among South African adolescents.

South Africa has the largest country population of individuals living with HIV; adolescents represent the largest share of new infections nationally, and rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) including sexual violence are among the highest globally. The study builds on outstanding acceptability and feasibility findings from prior Brown University research, and will use a randomized trial to test the efficacy of the Safe South Africa behavioral intervention in preventing HIV/STIs and IPV perpetration among adolescent males age 15-17. The five-year study will be co-led by Dr. Caroline Kuo and Dr. Catherine Mathews, with funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH129161).