Hands at a laptop, a note book, cup of pens, clipboard with application form, a pair of black glasses and a booklet all on a bright red background

HIV Endgame Program Results

The OHTN is pleased to announce the results of its 2024-2025 HIV Endgame Funding Program competition!

This funding program supports people and projects that have the potential to:

  • meet the needs of populations in Ontario most affected by HIV
  • drive changes in policy and practice across the HIV prevention, engagement, and care cascade
  • lead to more integrated health and social services
  • identify effective ways to address the social determinants that have a negative impact on the health of communities most affected by HIV
  • contribute to a rapid learning HIV health and social system

We are proud to support participants in each of four funding streams:

  1. Breaking New Ground
  2. Implementation Science
  3. Junior Investigator
  4. Winston Husbands Leadership Award in Strengthening the Response to HIV Among Black Communities

Breaking New Ground

Ahmed Bayoumi, Scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto

The Health of African Women Living with HIV: A Structural Approach

This project aims to understand the effects of structural and institutional factors on the health of African women living with HIV. Using a community-based participatory research approach grounded in Black Feminist Thought and Systems Theory, the investigators will conduct in-depth interviews with 40 African women living with HIV in Ontario regarding their health experiences in relationship to institutions, regulations, laws, and ideologies. The project seeks to generate evidence that leads to actionable solutions that transform institutional practices and policies affecting the health and well-being of African women living with HIV in Ontario.

Ann Burchell, Scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Unity Health Toronto

The PEACH-E Study: Predicting and Evaluating Anal Cancer in HIV with Equity

This project investigates novel biomarkers for anal cancer screening from an equitable lens. Most anal cancer screening in the past has focused on men who have sex with men living with HIV given their highest risk for anal cancer. This project expands the eligibility to include women and gender diverse people. The team aims to (1) determine whether prediction accuracy of any of the novel biomarkers for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) varies by sex or gender; (2) compare prediction accuracy for HSIL of novel biomarkers with currently-recommended screening tests (cytology or HPV testing); and (3) examine barriers and facilitators of equitable engagement in the anal screening cascade from the perspectives of people living with HIV of all genders.

Dan Werb, Executive Director at the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, Unity Health Toronto

Expanding Access to HIV/HCV Testing for People Who Use Drugs in Toronto

This project aims to expand access to frontline HIV and HCV point-of-care testing, along with referrals to clinical and social support. This will be done within the T-DOT study, a cohort study that has emerged as a primary data source on drug use and related health and social harms in Toronto. The project team will offer novel HIV Ab, HCV Ab, and HCV RNA point-of-care-testing to participants and will estimate HIV and HCV prevalence at baseline and incidence up to 24 months. The project will examine prior knowledge of status, treatment access, linkage to care, treatment initiation, and treatment outcomes.

Darrell Tan, Clinician Scientist at Unity Health Toronto

Formative Research on Long-Acting PEP

This project will plan for a trial of clinical, implementation, and equity-related outcomes of long-acting PEP. The project team will evaluate the acceptability of long-acting PEP (including transitions onto PrEP) among PEP users, communities at increased risk of HIV, and clinicians. They will also quantify clinical outcomes associated with standard of care oral PEP to inform the trial’s sample size and design, and assess the need for additional research on this novel prevention strategy in the future.

Deanna Chaukos, Consultant-Liaison Psychiatrist at Mount Sinai Hospital

Provincial Mental Health Integration Across Hospital and Community

This project will build on the previously-funded HIV Psychiatry ECHO to investigate the potential for clinical and community integration of mental health services for people living with HIV. The team will engage current and past ECHO participants (community workers and peers) and key clinical and administrative staff through targeted surveys, in-depth focus groups, and regional collaborative discussions. Resulting data from the qualitative needs assessment will be used to inform the development of a provincial action plan towards improved mental health integration in the HIV sector.

Jaris Swidrovich, Assistant Professor at Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto

A Culturally Responsive Approach to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Education for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples in the Greater Toronto Area

This project seeks to improve HIV prevention within urban First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) Peoples through cultural and community education and engagement. Prioritizing cultural safety and Indigenous ways of knowing, investigators work closely with a community-based advisory board (including Elders) and community partners to co-develop and pilot an educational intervention or tool. The resulting intervention will address PrEP awareness, understanding, and uptake in FNMI Peoples and will be assessed for feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact.

Jason Brophy, Investigator at CHEO Research Institute

Health Outcomes of Children HIV-Exposed Uninfected

This project aims to evaluate health outcomes for uninfected children who are perinatally exposed to HIV and antiretrovirals. Using the ICES administrative health data sets, the investigators will examine negative health outcomes such as hospitalization risk, increased infectious morbidity, and increased rates of neurodevelopmental delays, including autism spectrum disorders. The project team aims to gather data to better advocate for appropriate services and programs to improve health outcomes uninfected children born to people living with HIV.

Roula Hawa, Associate Professor & Undergraduate Chair at Western University

Culturally-Responsive Mindfulness (SMART 2.0): GBM, Trans, and Gender Diverse MENA Youth

Rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, this project will build on Self-Compassion, Mindful Acceptance, and Resilience Transformation (SMART), an 8-week group-based mindfulness training. SMART 2.0 will extend structured mindfulness practices to promote sustainability of behavioural change and collective resilience. This iteration will integrate concepts such as: identity construction, collective resilience, HIV literacy, sexual decision-making, addressing high risk conditions/behaviours, condom use, PrEP uptake, PEP awareness, STBBI/HIV testing, and integrated community resources. These newly developed modules will also be adapted to be more culturally responsive and delivered in both Arabic and Farsi.

Sergio Rueda, Senior Scientist at the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Tanya Lazor, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Reducing Self-Reported Problematic Cannabis Use among People Living with HIV: A Pilot Study

This project will evaluate the feasibility of administering an adapted version of the Cannabis eCHECKUP TO GO intervention to reduce self-identified problematic cannabis use among people with HIV. eCHECKUP TO GO is an evidence-based online intervention utilizing behavioural economics-informed approaches to motivate positive changes such as substance use reduction. The team will adapt the intervention for the target population in partnership with a Community Advisory Committee of people living with HIV who use cannabis. The project will evaluate recruitment capability, retention, intervention fidelity, acceptability, and pre-post changes in cannabis use, anxiety, quality of life, and depression.

Implementation Science

Luxey Sirisegaram, Staff Geriatrician at Sinai Health and the University Health Network

Implementing HIV-Focused Medication Reviews in Long-Term Care

This project addresses polypharmacy issues among older adults living with HIV by adapting GeriMedRisk for people living with HIV. GeriMedRisk is a specialized, non-profit, virtual clinical service that aims to optimize medication management and address health conditions in older adults. The team will partner with two Toronto long-term care communities to understand needs, adapt the GeriMedRisk model, and develop a tailored implementation plan. Following implementation, they will assess effects on older adults living with HIV, providers, and decision makers in long-term care; explore barriers, facilitators, and effectiveness; and establish a mechanism for rapid learning and knowledge sharing with key actors, including plans for broader scale up.

Mona Loutfy, Senior Scientist at Women’s College Hospital

Implementation of Peer-Led Women-Centred HIV Care Pocketbook Workshops

This project aims to implement the Women-Centred HIV Care (WCHC) Model at seven clinics across Southern Ontario. Using an interactive pocket-sized resource (the WCHC Pocketbook), the project team will conduct two sets of workshops: 1) trainings with clinic staff to equip providers with the skills to deliver inclusive care and 2) community peer-led workshops with clinic patients (women living with HIV) to empower them to advocate for their needs. The goal is to pilot and refine the implementation model, assess adaptability and scalability, and develop an implementation toolkit and digital app for broader adoption of the WCHC Model.

Junior Investigator

Kristina Kokorelias, Associate Scientist at the Healthy Ageing and Geriatrics Program, Sinai Health and the University Health Network

Co-Designing Culturally-Responsive Person and Family-Centered Care Models

The applicant plans to co-design a culturally-competent model of HIV care for older adults and their caregivers, building on the currently-funded project co-designing a model for geriatric-HIV clinics. The three proposed projects aim to (1) create a scalable model that improves the accessibility and effectiveness of care for diverse older adults living with HIV and their caregivers; (2) develop a Person-and-Family-Centered Care (PFCC) model in the context of HIV in Ontario; and (3) organize two province-wide meetings for researchers, clinicians, family caregivers, and other key interest holders. The applicant aims to actively engage patients and caregivers in this work in order to integrate patient and family preferences into care planning and decision-making.

Winston Husbands Leadership Award

Asha Ulusow, Research Coordinator at Women’s College Hospital

HOPE: A Community-Engaged Study of Childhood-Acquired HIV Among Black People

The investigator will develop the HOPE Research Program, which aims to amplify the lived experiences of and address the unique challenges faced by ACB people who acquired HIV before the age of 16. This research program builds on an already established peer-led group for ACB youth living with HIV, co-founded and facilitated by the applicant. The investigator will establish key partnerships and engage with interest holders; conduct interviews with youth to identify key barriers to care; and develop knowledge dissemination tools using arts-based participatory methods – with the ultimate goal of generating data to inform policies, improve practices, and guide future research for this underreached group.