The Program on Client Centered Research and Care (pCCRC), led by Iván Balán, Ph.D. and his longtime collaborator Rebecca Giguere, MPH, focuses on two main areas: 1) understanding individual’s experiences interacting with novel behavioral and biomedical interventions, and 2) developing and implementing client-centered counseling interventions to facilitate desired behavior change. Our research on understanding individual’s experiences interacting with novel interventions uses mixed methods approaches to engage end users in early stages of development to glean insights into potential facilitators and obstacles to adoption of the intervention being developed. Our client-centered counseling interventions, often based on Motivational Interviewing, aim to ensure that the perspectives and experiences of clients form the core of the intervention, with counselors facilitating a change process rather than pushing clients to change. Our work spans the translational spectrum, from mixed methods approaches to understand user experiences in Phase 1 clinical trials to implementation of evidence-based counseling interventions, and has often focused on marginalized populations in domestic and international settings.
For more information on the pCCRC, please contact Dr. Iván Balán at ibalan@fsu.edu
Current Projects
Interactive Internet-based Motivational Interviewing Training for HIV Counseling Support Staff to Improve Health Communication in HIV Care Interactions
The overall goal of the proposed study is to develop and pilot an interactive, gamified, online, training program in Motivational Interviewing (MI) specifically for HIV counseling support staff (CSS), which includes HIV counselors and community health workers, to improve health communication in status-neutral HIV care interactions. The goal is to train CSS to deliver MI competently so they can integrate MI into all of their healthcare communications with individuals receiving or seeking HIV related services (status-neutral). CSS will be able to access iMI4HIVs after completing a live virtual MI introductory workshop, providing additional skills training that specifically targets MI skills shown by research to affect behavior change outcomes. Thus, iMI4HIV will fill that critical need for additional post-workshop training that is rarely available to community providers.
NIH (R34 MH133468) PI: I. Balán, PhD
2024
Integration of Electronic SBI(RT) into an HIV Testing Program to Reduce Substance Use and HIV Risk Behavior among MSM in Argentina
The aim of this study is to develop and pilot test an electronic Screening and Brief Intervention program to reduce substance use and sexual risk behavior among for men who have sex awaiting HIV testing at a community-based organization in Argentina.
NIH (R34 DA055503) PI: I. Balán, PhD
2022-Present
MTN-042 DELIVER: A Phase 3b Safety Study of the Dapivirine Ring and PrEP in Pregnant Women
Our work in in this project focuses on developing and implementing a client-centered adherence counseling intervention to support the use of the dapivarine vaginal ring and oral PrEP among pregnant women in four study sites in Sub-Saharan Africa.
NIH (U01 AI68633) PI: S. Hillier, PhD; Sub-contract PI: I. Balán, PhD
2022-Present
Recently Completed Projects
Use of Novel Mobile Technology to Screen Sexual Partners for HIV and STIs
The goal of this study was to assess the acceptability and feasibility among high-risk MSM and transgender women of testing sexual partners using a novel rapid HIV and syphilis test paired with a smartphone app to improve ease of use, results display, and linkage to care.
NICHD (R01 HD088156) PI: I. Balán, PhD
2016-2021
MTN-043 B-PREPARED: Phase 3B, Open-label, Safety and Drug Detection Study of Dapivirine Vaginal Ring and Oral TRUVADA® in Breastfeeding Mother-Infant Pairs
A sister study to MTN-042 but among breastfeeding women, our work on this study focuses on developing and implementing a client-centered adherence counseling intervention to support the use of the dapivarine vaginal ring and oral PrEP among breastfeeding women in four study sites in Sub-Saharan Africa.
NIH (U01 AI68633) PI: S. Hillier, PhD; Sub-contract PI: I Balán, PhD
2019-2021
MTN-035 DESIRE: Acceptability, Tolerability, and Adherence of Three Rectal Microbicide Placebo Formulations among HIV Seronegative Cisgender Men, Transgender Men and Transgender Women Who Engage in Receptive Anal Intercourse
The aim of this study was to assess the acceptability, tolerability and adherence of three rectal products (douche, insert, and suppository) that could deliver a rectal microbicide to reduce risk of HIV infection. For this study, we conducted the qualitative component of the study, conducting in-depth interviews to understand user experiences and preferences across the three products.
NIH (U01 AI68633) PI: S. Hillier, PhD; Sub-contract PI: I. Balán, PhD
2018-2020
MTN-025 The HOPE Study: A Phase 3B Open-Label Follow-on Trial to Assess the Continued Safety of and Adherence to a Vaginal Ring Containing Dapivirine in Women
Our work on this study focused on developing and implementing an adherence counseling intervention to support daviparine ring use among women in 14 study sites in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this study we spearheaded the use of audio-recordings of counseling sessions to monitor the fidelity of the counseling; the largest biomedical HIV prevention study to do so. We also conducted an ancillary study to explore the experiences of study counselors in learning and delivering the adherence counseling intervention as well as in having their sessions audio-recorded for monitoring and receiving feedback on their performance.
NIH (U01 AI68633) PI: S. Hillier, PhD; Sub-contract PI: I. Balán, PhD
2016-2019
MTN-017: A Phase 2 Randomized Sequence Open Label Expanded Safety and Acceptability Study of Oral Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate Tablet and Rectally-Applied Tenofovir Reduced-Glycerin 1% Gel.
Our work on this study focused on developing and implementing a client centered adherence intervention used by 25 counselors in multinational research trial to support the use of the study products. Our groundbreaking work on this study included the development and implementation of client-centered approaches to discussing objective biomarkers of adherence with participants and collaborative approaches at improving adherence measurement and reporting.
NIH (U01 AI68633) PI: S. Hillier, PhD; Sub-contract PI: A. Carballo-Dieguez, PhD; Behavioral Consultant: I. Balán, PhD
2012-2015
Rapid Home Test to Reduce Sexual Risk Behavior in MSM and Transgender Women
Based on the findings of our exploratory study and piloting of rapid HIV testing with sexual partners (Rapid HIV Home Test and Decision-Making among HIV-Negative Men; NIMH R01 MH79692; PI: A. Carballo-Diéguez, Ph.D., I. Balan, Ph.D., Co-Investigator) this efficacy trial demonstrated that HIV self-and partner testing could reduce sexual behavior that place individuals at increased risk of HIV infection. These findings led the CDC to include self- and partner-testing as an evidence-based intervention to prevent HIV infection.
NICHD (R01 HD076636) PI: A. Carballo-Dieguez, PhD; Co-Investigator: Balán, PhD
2014-2019