Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Social Lives of HIV Prevention Drugs

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Since its arrival to the market, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) has transformed the field of HIV prevention. A once a day pill composed of conventional antiretrovirals repurposed for preventative use, research has proven PrEP to be highly effective in reducing individual risk of HIV infection. While studies have demonstrated PrEP’s therapeutic efficacy, the social effects of this therapeutic revolution across different groups and populations remains understudied. The research supported by this award uses ethnographic methods to investigate how different populations and individuals use PrEP, asking how the use of this drug effects individual practices, as well as perceptions of risk. In addition to providing funding for the training of a graduate student in anthropology in the methods of empirical, scientific data collection and analysis, the project will enhance scientific understandings of the social effects of HIV prevention strategies and therapies. The research will take place over 16 months in a context where PrEP has been made widely available through the production and distribution of a state manufactured generic. The researcher will work across four different community settings: a HIV policy institute, a private clinic, a community organization, and a selection of commercial and event venues that are significant to the local economy. Data will be collected through participant observation; interviews with health policy makers, doctors, community organizers, PrEP users, and other stakeholders; and focus groups and life histories of PrEP users from different population groups. Findings from this research will produce multi-perspective data needed by policy makers, public health practitioners, and social scientists to understand the factors that condition both access to and the broader experiences of these novel forms of therapy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.