Past Events

September 10 & 11, 2024

Location: Converge Miami 1951 NW 7th Ave, Miami, FL 33136 

CHARM, CFAR, and HEIDI co-hosted the two-day in-person event titled: Engage & Connect: Community Roundtable Series!

This year, the event kicked off with Project SHARE 2024, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Candice Sternberg.

Project SHARE is a forum which brings researchers and community members together to discuss current research and the lived experiences of the community.

The following capacity-building and roundtable sessions were geared towards community members, organizations, and practitioners involved in HIV prevention, treatment and cure initiatives.

August 28, 2024 at 2:00 PM

Dr. Cherenack presented on her CHARM and CLaRO Pilot Award: Mixed-methods research on coping with intersectional minority stress and HIV-clinical outcomes among Latino Sexual Minority Men Living with HIV (aka The Siempre Contigo Study) 

"Advancing Mental Health Care Equity and Research for Diverse and Underserved Populations Through a Digital Health Equity Framework"

Date: August 7, 2024 2:00 - 3:00 PM

In her presentation, Dr. Blanc discussed strategies for leveraging a digital health equity framework to improve mental health care access, quality, and outcomes for diverse and underserved populations, anchored on her team's published framework and the ongoing clinical trials and observational studies she is leading at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine among Black females, women of color, and Black Immigrant populations.

See recording here. 

July 31, 2024 at 2:00 PM

Dr. Renae Patterson discussed her CHARM Scholar Award: Seventy-eight Would Be Great: An Exploration of the use of Patient Portals as a Supporting Intervention to Improve HIV Care Engagement among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men living with HIV.

Wednesday July 17th at 2:00 PM

CHARM Methods Core Workshop "Dealing with REDCap Survey Scamming" presented by Daniel Maya, BS & Raymond Balise, PhD.

This presentation covered practical strategies researchers can implement in their survey design, consent and measure language, and monitoring tools/workflow to reduce the likelihood and impact of fraudulent survey responses. 

July 8-12, 2024

The Equitable Implementation Science (EIS) core at the Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM) at the University of Miami hosted its inaugural Weeklong Training Seminar. 

To watch recordings of the presentations, please see our Youtube channel. 

Co-Hosted with the CTSI 

Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 2 PM 

Co-Hosted by MW/CCS, CHARM, CTSI, and CFAR 

June 20, 2024, 1:00 – 3:00 pm

On May 21, 2024, CHARM welcomed its first cohort of Community Pilot Award and Community Microgrant awardees to a launch event.

CHARM will be accepting applications for developmental awards in HIV/AIDS and mental health research. Please see information about the open awards cycles here. 

Informational sessions: 

Informational Session 1: April 19, 2024 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Informational Session 2: May 1, 2024 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

April 24, 2024. 6:30 - 8:30 PM. 

CHARMing Conversations panels are comprised of CHARM CAB members, other community members, and health professionals/experts in the field. 

Panelists: 

Dedra Brown - CHARM CAB Member, Empower U 

Roxana Bolden - CHARM CAB Member, Sister 

Tammy Gordon - CHARM CAB Member 

Alexis R. Powell, MD - Infectious Disease, Jackson Health Systems, MSOM

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Associate Professor of Psychology, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core, University of Miami

The University of Miami's CHANGE T32 Training Program is actively recruiting pre- and post-doctoral scholars and will hold a Virtual Open House for all interested candidates!

Led by Drs. Daniel Feaster, Sannisha Dale, and Viviana Horigian, and housed under the UM Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM), CHANGE - Culturally-focused HIV Advancements through the Next Generation for Equity - aims to build the next cadre of scientists focused on mental health, HIV, and health disparities/inequities research.

We are inviting all pre- and post-doctoral candidates interested in CHANGE to join us for a Virtual Open House on Friday April 12^th from 6-7:30pm ET to engage with our Directors and past and present trainees. The virtual format will allow for breakout rooms to rotate with each group and ask your questions about the program competencies, activities, application process, timeline, and more! 

We are recruiting pre- and post-doctoral scholars to start during the 2024-2025 academic year. However, start dates may be flexible based on need and fit. Please see attached flyer and the CHANGE T32 website to review eligibility criteria.

Please send any questions to CHANGE-program@miami.edu.

Wednesday, March 20th 2024

EIS Core Investigator Alyssa Lozano sharing her experience and information gained from the 2023 Dissemination and Implementation Conference. 

The University of Miami Research Resources Expo showcasing the diverse research resources and core facilities across the University of Miami. 

March 12 and 14, 2024

Find more information here. 

March 11, 2024

Title: Hombre a Hombre: Adapting and Evaluating a Relationship Education Program for Latino Sexual Minority Men's Health

Co-Hosted with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

March 5, 2024

Presenter: Justin D. Smith, PhD (Equitable Implementation Science Core Consultant) 

Please join us Wednesday, February 28^th 2024 at 2:00 PM for our next Speaker Series seminar with Dr. Daniel Driffin, discussing "Experiences of Seroconversion Among Black Sexual Minority Men." Join via Facebook Live or Zoom. 

2024 Miami CFAR Annual Symposium, co-sponsored by CHARM. 

“Breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS: Treatment, Vaccines, and Cure” 

Friday, February 23, 2024.

February 21, 2024 

Presenter: Bonnie S. Harris, Program Manager, Howard University College of Medicine, Department of Community and Family Medicine

Co-Hosted by the Combined Cohort Study (CCS), CFAR, and CTSI. 

Bonnie Harris is Program Manager of an HIV Recruitment strategy project at Howard University College of Medicine. Ms. Harris will discuss recruitment strategies to link individuals living with HIV (ILWH) to care + navigating individuals at greater risk to accessible sexual health (SH) resources, retention and the iterative process of engaging community members in various settings utilizing HIV + sexual health education and prevention information.

Our Director, Dr. Steven Safren, presented at a University of Miami Cooper Fellow Lecture by Dr. Steven Safren on February 15, 2024. 

Find the video on our YouTube page. 

On 1/31/2024, CHARM launched our new Research Navigation Portal.

Watch this video for a summary of what CHARM services you can access through the portal, and a short demo on how to set up your user profile and navigate the Portal.

For more information on the portal and to see FAQs, see the Research Navigation Portal page on our website. 

December 6, 2023 - 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Dr. Zinzi Bailey presented on her CHARM Pilot Award, "Social and Geographic Displacement in Miami-Dade: Impact on Mental Health and Health Disparities in HIV Positive Patients." 

November 15, 2023, 2:00-3:00 PM

The Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM) at the University of Miami is accepting applications for our Community Pilot Awards Program. The purpose of this program is to encourage community-centered research projects focused on HIV and Mental Health initiatives. Two $25,000 awards will be awarded this cycle with a 1-year project period (tentative June 1st, 2024 – May 31st, 2025). 

RFA and other information about the new funding mechanism can be found here. 

Have any questions? View our informational session here, or reach out to Meadgine Ilmet (MHD-CE Core Coordinator, mfi13@miami.edu. 

Topic: e-Health and A.I.: Ethical Issues and Considerations

Location: CTSI Training Center, Don Soffer Clinical Research Center, Room 710

November 8, 2023 - 2:00 PM

View the presentation on our YouTube channel. 

October 25^th 2023, 6:30-8:00 PM

CHARMing Conversations panels are comprised of CHARM CAB members, other community members, and health professionals/experts in the field. 

Panelists: 

Sherkila Shaw - CHARM CAB Member, SHINE Community Consultant, Sistas Organizing to Survive

Ashlee Hollerman - CHARM CAB Member, Empower U, The McKenzie Project

Dedra Brown - CHARM CAB Member, Empower U

Nicholas Metheny, PhD - Assistant Professor, University of Miami

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Associate Professor of Psychology, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core, University of Miami

September 14, 2023 - 4:00 - 6:00 PM

CHARM has officially transitioned from a Developmental AIDS Research Center (D-ARC) to a fully fledged ARC. Community members and researchers joined us for a short presentation on our new structure, resources and activities, and to build relationships and collaborations for the years to come. 

Presenter: Rana Saber, M.S., M.S.L., Director, RADD Team, Northwestern University

A collaboration with CLaRO and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Rana Saber's presentation was followed by a panel including Dr. Audrey Harkness and Dr. Sara St. George

August 30, 2023 - 2:00 - 3:00 PM

August 16, 2023, 12:00-2:00 PM

This event was hosted by CHARM’s Mental Health Disparities and Community Engagement Core in collaboration with the Miami CFAR’s Population Engagement Core. 

Title: Intersectional Approaches to Addressing Transgender Health Inequities

Presenter: Tonia Poteat, PhD, Professor, Duke University School of Nursing

Panelists: Jasmine McKenzie (The McKenzie Project), Morgan Mayfaire (TransSOCIAL), Yahima Ocon (Survivor’s Pathway) and Lydia Fein, MD, MPH

See event recording on our Youtube Channel. 

The Developmental Core held a webinar to kick off our new Scholar Award funding opportunity. 

Please find the recording of the webinar on our YouTube Channel. 

July 18, 2023 - 3:00 - 4:00 PM 

Dr. Williams presented on her CHARM Pilot Award, "iRISE: Investigating the Relationship between
Intersectional Stigma and its Effects on Health Outcomes among Black Sexual Minority Men" 

July 12, 2023 - 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Dr. Mariano Kanamori, CHARM’s Equitable Implementation Science Core Co-Director, represented the University of Miami at this significant NIH virtual symposium on June 29th from 1:00pm to 2:20pm. 

This meeting brings together researchers, pharmacists and other pharmacy-involved professionals, community members, and federal partners to discuss research opportunities in how pharmacies are used to provide HIV testing, prevention, and care. The meeting took place through a virtual format on Wed June 28^th and Thu June 29^th 2023, from 1:00pm-5:00pm ET each day.

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/events/announcements/pharmacy-centered-hiv-research-current-landscape-and-future-frontiers

A Population Health Approach to Linking Cis Black Women to Mental Health Services when Engaging them in HIV Prevention Interventions 

June 21, 2023 - 3:30 - 4:30 PM

Please find information about our 2023 Pilot Award call for applications here! 

This webinar's purpose was to describe the application process and answer any questions from interested applicants. 

May 18, 2023 - 2:00 - 3:00 PM

May 17, 2023 - 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Target audience includes Research Assistants/Associates, Graduate Assistants, and investigators that lead research teams 

April 26, 2023, 2:00-3:00 PM 

April 12^th 3:05 – 4:05 pm

CHARM is pleased to co-host Dr. Orrego Dunleavy’s “Cafecito and Conversation” presentation with the School of Communication.

April 12, 2023 - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM 

March 22nd, 2023, 6:30-8:00 PM

CHARMing Conversations panels are comprised of CHARM CAB members, other community members, and health professionals/experts in the field. 

Panelists: 

Sherkila Shaw - CHARM CAB Member, SHINE Community Consultant 

Ashlee Hollerman - CHARM CAB Member

Myka Osorio - CHARM CAB Member, Care Resource Community Health Center, Inc. 

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Associate Professor of Psychology, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core, University of Miami

February 15, 2023

The Miami Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), the HIV/AIDS and Emerging Infectious Diseases Institute (HEIDI) and the Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM) have partnered to host the 16^th Annual HIV Symposium: Science Driving Strategy: Ending the HIV Epidemic. 

February 9, 2023 

January 25, 2023 - 2:00 - 3:00 PM

January 18, 2023

December 14th, 2022, 6:30-8:00 PM

CHARMing Conversations panels are comprised of CHARM CAB members, other community members, and health professionals/experts in the field. 

Panelists: 

Roxana Bolden - CHARM CAB Member, Outreach Coordinator, Community Consultant 

Daniel Driffin - External Relations Project Manager, HIV Vaccine Trials Network, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 

June Romero - Program Specialist I, CAN Community Health  

Tajma Darlington - CHARM CAB Member, Linkage to Care Specialist, Health Choice Network 

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Associate Professor of Psychology, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core, University of Miami

CHARM is thrilled to host a panel led by the Center for Latino Health Research Opportunities (CLaRO) in collaboration with Florida International University (FIU) on Friday the 9^th of December, 2022 at 10 AM. 

Discussions center on findings from a five-year community level assessment of needs, resources, and existing services related to substance abuse, violence/trauma, and HIV/AIDS (SAVA) in vulnerable Latinx communities: (i) farm working (ii) urban/inner-city, and (iii) LGBTQ+. Discussions will also include development of the findings dissemination plan that engages community members, partnering organizations, service providers, and other stakeholders in disseminating culturally appropriate findings to the target communities.

Please see the event flyer here. 

Panelists: 

Elena Bastida, PhD - Professor, Chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University  

Gira J. Ravelo, PhD, MSW - Research Assistant Professor, Center for Research on US Latino HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University

Patricia Rojas, PhD, MPH, MSW - Associate Professor, Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University   

Moderator: 

Mario De La Rosa, PhD, MSSA - Distinguished Professor, Endowed Univerisity Professor in Health Equity, Director of Center for Research on US Latino HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University 

December 1, 2022 - 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

2022 World AIDS Day Seminar - Collaboration between the Miami Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), the Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM), and the HIV/AIDS and Emerging Infectious Diseases Institute (HEIDI). 

Presenters:

• Adam Carrico, PhD
• Roger McIntosh, PhD
• Robert Paul, Ph.D., ABCN
• Leah Rubin PhD, MA, MPH
• Delaram Ghanooni, MD, MPH, CPH 

October 19, 2022 - 3:00-4:00 PM

Presenter: Victoria Orrego Dunleavy, PhD

September 14, 2022 - 3:00-4:00 PM

Victoria Orrego Dunleavy, PhD will be presenting on her CHARM Pilot Award: The Impact of Media Literacy and Resilience on Low Income Latinx Living with HIV: A Community-Engaged Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

September 14, 2022 - 1:00 pm

September 21st, 2022, 6:30-8:00 PM

CHARMing Conversations panels are comprised of CHARM CAB members, other community members, and health professionals/experts in the field. 

Panelists: 

Jasmine McKenzie - Founder/CEO The McKenzie Project Inc. 

Kimberly Turner - Entrepreneur, CHARM CAB Member

Morgan Mayfaire - Executive Director, TransSOCIAL, Inc. 

Tyson Cash - Registered Nurse, CHARM CAB Member 

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Associate Professor of Psychology, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core, University of Miami

August 31, 2022 - 1:00-2:00 PM

Join via Facebook Live or Zoom.

July 20th, 2022 - 1:00-2:00 PM

Presenters: Claudia Martinez, MD, Lunthita Duthely, EdD, Tiffany Glynn, PhD 

July 13th, 2022 - 2:00-3:00 PM

Claudia Martinez, MD, will be presenting on her CHARM Pilot Award: Stigma, Resilience and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Women Living with HIV, with her teammates Lunthita Duthely, EdD and Tiffany Glynn, PhD. 

Topic areas and current work presented include an introduction to Implementation Sciences (IS), barriers to implementing HIV Evidence-Based Interventions, effective-implementation hybrid studies, and implementation strategies such as using social networks.

Presenters: Audrey Harkness, PhD, Mariano Kanamori, PhD, and Guillermo "Willy" Prado, PhD

June 15th, 2022 - 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Presenter: Whitney Irie, PhD, MSW

May 25th, 2022 - 1:00-2:00 PM

Presenter: Daniel O'Neil, MD, MPH

May 18th, 2022 - 4:00-5:00 PM

Daniel O'Neil, MD, MPH, will be presenting on his CHARM Pilot Award: Characterizing the Mental Health and Biobehavioral State of South African Women Living with Comorbid HIV and Breast Cancer and Considering a Contextually Appropriate Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management Intervention

Presenter: Kathryn Nowotny, PhD

April 27th, 2022 - 1:00-2:00 PM

Kathryn Nowotny, PhD, will be presenting on her CHARM Pilot Award: The Syndemic of Criminal Justice Involvement, Mental Illness, Substance Use, and Interpersonal Violence among Marginalized Adults Living with HIV. 

April 20th, 2022, 6:30-8:00 PM

CHARMing Conversations panels are comprised of CHARM CAB members, other community members, and health professionals/experts in the field. 

Panelists: 

Alecia Tramel-McIntyre - Founder/CEO Positive People Network, Inc., CHARM CAB Chair, Subject Matter Exper/Consultant 

Tajma Darlington - Co-Chair of CHARM CAB, HIV Prevention and Testing Manager, Pridelines

Kimberly Ho Misiaszek - Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Director for Institute for Individual and Family Counseling, Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, University of Miami 

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Associate Professor of Psychology, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core, University of Miami

Presenter: Sierra Bainter, PhD 

April 6th, 2022 - 4:00-5:00 PM 

Many researchers in the social, behavioral, and health sciences face the challenge of narrowing down a large set of theoretically-relevant predictors to a smaller set which reliably relate to the outcome. For example, risk and protective factors related to HIV outcomes. Attendees will be introduced to Bayesian variable selection methods to address this and related research questions. This workshop will assume a basic familiarity with standard regression analysis.

Join the Zoom meeting here. 

March 3rd, 2022 - 12:00-1:00 PM

Co-Hosted by:

UM Department of Public Health Sciences Division of Biostatistics and CHARM Methods Core 

Presenter: DJ Penix, President & Founder, Pinnacle Solutions Inc.

March 2nd, 2022 - 6:30-8:00 PM

Panelists: 

Yahima Ocon - Transgender Program Director, Peer Navigator, Emory University’s Compass Advisory Board 

Tammy Gordan - CHARM CAB Member

Gail Ironson, M.D., PhD - Professor of Psychology, Trauma Treatment Program, University of Miami Psychological Services Center

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Miami, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core

Presenter: Tatiana Perrino, PsyD 

February 9th, 2022 - 2:00-3:00 PM

Tatiana Perrino, PsyD, will be presenting on her CHARM Pilot Award: Engaging Hispanic Immigrants in Mental Health Promotion and HIV Prevention: A Father-Son Initiative.

January 26, 2022 1:00-2:00 PM

Presenter: Julie Levison H., M.D., M. Phil, MPH 

December 8, 2021 1:00-2:00 PM

Presenter: Carol Dawson-Rose, RN, PhD, FAAN

2021 World AIDS Day Seminar - Collaboration between the Miami Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM)

December 1, 2021

Presenters:

• Hansel Tookes, MD, MPH 
• David Serota, MD 
• Shamsudheen Moidunny, PhD
• Renessa Williams, PhD, RN 
• Suresh Pallikkuth, PhD 

November 17th, 2021 - 6:30-8:00 PM

Panelists: 

Jordan Patrick - ACTS Outreach Coordinator, Divison of Adolescent Medicine, Batchelor Children’s Research Institute

Kimberly Turner - CHARM CAB Member, Entrepreneur

Michelle Hylton - Nurse Manager, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Batchelor Children's Research Institute 

Ashley Cason - Education & Prevention Specialist, CAN Community Health 

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Miami, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core

November 17, 2021 1:00-2:00 PM

Presenter: Rosina Cianelli, PhD, MPH, RN, IBCLC, FAAN

Presenter: Candice Sternberg, MD

November 4th, 2021 - 2:00-3:00 PM

Candice Sternberg, MD, will be presenting on her CHARM Pilot Award: Bon Sante: Opportunities for HIV Prevention Among Haitian Americans.

October 20, 2021 1:00-2:00 PM

Presenter: Kathryn M. Nowotny, PhD

September 29, 2021 1:00-2:00 PM 

Presenter: William Darrow, PhD

September 22, 2021 1:00-2:00 PM 

Presenter: Mario de la Rosa, PhD

September 22nd, 2021 - 6:30-8:00 PM

Panelists: 

Alecia Tramel-McIntyre - Founder/CEO Positive People Network, Inc., CHARM CAB Chair, Subject Matter Exper/Consultant 

Jose Rodriguez - CHARM CAB Member, Architectural Designer, OS Design Group

David Malebranche, MD, MPH - Board Certified Internal Medicine Physician, Sexual health/HIV specialist 

Candice Sternberg, MD - Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine 

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Miami, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core

Please find the flyer here. 

Presenter: Raymond R. Balise, PhD

September 2, 2021

This is a talk for people who want to learn how modern analysis software helps write papers. 

Attendees will be introduced to:

• The latest tools in the R software ecosystem which seamlessly knit together analysis output and text
• The rUM package (designed by r users at the University of Miami) which creates a research project complete with the outline of a paper formatted for publication
• The visual editor in modern RStudio which supports formatting, editing and reference management
• The GitHub website which makes it easy to share your work

This presentation has two sections, a prerecorded introduction to the tools which can be watched by anyone at any time and a limited enrollment live presentation which shows how researchers at UM are crafting papers on HIV medication compliance and on COVID vaccine hesitancy in people living with HIV.  This talk is designed to be accessible for everyone from new R users to seasoned code warriors who want to learn the latest tools.  The live presentation will provide a gentle introduction to modern analysis techniques, such as LASSO and CART using the state of the art for modeling in R, the tidymodels ecosystem.

Register in advance for this meeting (Zoom). 

August 25th, 2021 - 6:30-8:00 PM

Panelists: 

Daniel E. Jimenez, PhD - Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, MSOM, University of Miami

Arnetta E. Phillips, CAC - Clinical Research Coordinator, MSOM, University of Miami, Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine

Roxana Bolden - CHARM CAB Member, SHINE Community Consultant

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Miami, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core

Please find the flyer here. 

Presenters:

Frank Penedo, PhD, Department of Psychology

Marc Puccinelli, PhD, Department of Psychology

August 18, 2021 

About the presentation: 

People living with HIV (PLWHIV) are at greater risk of cancer and the significant compromises both conditions render on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). As this dually diagnosed subgroup of HIV patients continues to grow, they are at elevated psychosocial risk due to the   combined stress and burden of co-managing both conditions. This study aims to develop an eHealth-based stress management and risk reduction program for MSM coping with HIV and cancer.

August 11, 2021 1:00-2:00 PM 

Presenter: MarieGuerda Nicolas, PhD

Presenter:

Laura Beauchamps, MD, MSOM, Infectious Diseases 

July 14, 2021

About the Presentation:

Latina and Black transgender women are disproportionately impacted by HIV.  Qualitative research aiming to understand how transwomen’s social networks impact the PrEP continuum of care cascade is urgently needed. Understanding the social determinants of health including barriers to retention, knowledge of PrEP and gender affirming treatments drug interactions with PrEP will provide information on a potential strategy to increase PrEP uptake within Latina and Black transgender women social networks.

June 23rd, 2021 - 6:30-8:00 PM

Panelists: 

Roxana Bolden - CHARM CAB Member

Lirian Oquendo - Ryan White Case Manager and Substance Abuse Counselor, EMPOWER U

Sherkila Shaw - Community Member 

Tiffany Glynn - PhD Candidate in Clinical Health Psychology, University of Miami 

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Miami, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core

Please find the flyer here. 

May 26th, 2021 - 6:30-8:00 PM

Panelists: 

Jordan Patrick - Undergraduate Senior at the University of Miami, HIV Outreach Coordinator, Batchelor Children’s Research Institute

Brenda Wilmot - CHARM CAB Member, Hiring Manager, Walmart 

Dominique Phillips, B.S. - Predoctoral Clinical Psychology Trainee, University of Miami 

Moderator: 

Sannisha K. Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M - Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Miami, Director, SHINE Research Program, Director, CHARM Mental Health Disparities Core

Please find the flyer here. 

May 11th, 2021

Thank you for joining us for the Kick-Off event of our new CHANGE T32 Training Program. Please find a recording of the event on YouTube. 

Event Flyer

CHANGE Flyer

For more info on the CHANGE T32 Training Program, click here. 

Panelists: 

Camille Lewis - Program Manager for Transgender Services, Empower "U" Community Health Center 

Jose Rodriguez - CHARM CAB Member, Architectural Designer, OS Design Group

Allan E Rodriguez, M.D. - Professor of Clinical Medicine, CHARM Developmental Core Co-Director, University of Miami

Paul Seligmann - PrEP Services Coordinator, Care Resource, Non-government co-chair, PrEP Workgroup for the Miami-Dade DoH

Moderator: 

Sannisha Dale, PhD, EdM - Assistant Professor, Director, Mental Health Disparities Core, CHARM, Psychology Department, University of Miami

Please find the flyer here. 

Wednesday, March 24th, 2021 6:30 - 8:00 PM

In this conversation, we discussed stigmas about HIV and Mental Health and how people continue to strive. 

Panelists: 

Alecia Tramel - Chair of CHARM CAB, Executive Director / Founder, Positive People Network, Inc. 

Tajma Darlington - Co-Chair of CHARM CAB, HIV Prevention and Testing Manager, Pridelines

Myka Osorio - CHARM CAB Member, PrEP Navigator, Care Resource

Moderator: 

Sannisha Dale, PhD, EdM - Assistant Professor, Director, Mental Health Disparities Core, CHARM, Psychology Department, University of Miami

Please find the flyer here. 

The Miami Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), the HIV/AIDS and Emerging Infectious Diseases Institute (HEIDI) and the Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM) have partnered to host the 15^th Annual HIV Symposium: The Path to Ending the HIV Epidemic. 

February 10 & 11, 2021

Speakers:
Carl W. Dieffenbach, PhD
Julia Marcus, PhD
Brian Mustanski, PhD
Lynne Mofenson, MD
Emma Spencer, PhD
Dennis Burton, PhD

Presenters: Mariano Kanamori, PhD Assistant Professor University of Miami, Stephen Fallon, PhD Executive Director Latinos Salud

February 3, 2021

Topics Covered:

CBPR’s Definition, Design Principles and Challenges 
Developing Partnerships 
Incorporating Social Network Analysis in CBPR 
Finding The Right Community Partner 
Examples of Outcomes of Community Engagements 

Presenter: Dr. Raymond R. Balise, Department of Public Health Sciences, Biostatistics

February 3, 2021

REDCap is a popular, user-friendly, web-based data collection tool that can be used to collect sensitive research data. This presentation will show the process of setting up a REDCap database used for a clinical trial aimed at assessing the utility of an iPhone/Android mobile app designed to support medication adherence in HIV+ men who have sex with men and who use stimulants (cocaine and/or methamphetamine).

The completed project includes a screening survey, study e-consent, randomization into study groups considering race, and tracking of specimen collection over a year. Attendees will see how REDCap can be used to do data validation, control the display of data with action tags and feed data between study instruments/questionnaires with piping. New features in REDCap 10, such as field embedding, to make good-looking questionnaires, will be covered.

Intended audience is people who have some REDCap experience, but novices who would like to learn more about REDCap's capabilities are welcome. Attendees must register in advance and must watch the tutorial videos (1.5 hour length) before the seminar. 

Tutorial videos and information are available here.

Presenters:

Renessa Williams, PhD, RN - Postdoctoral Fellow Deportment of Surgery

Chika Christle Chuku, MPH - Pre-doctoral Fellow Deportment of Public Health

January 27, 2021

About the Presentation:

Stimulant-using MSM (SUMSM) may have greater difficulties navigating the HIV care continuum as well as display substantially elevated viral load, amplified HIV transmission risk, and faster clinical HIV progression. Efforts are needed to understand how managing multiple stigmatized identities related to HIV status, substance use, race, and sexual minority status may further challenge HIV-related disparities. This proposed research aims to test an mHealth intervention targeting treatment adherence, substance use, and intersectional stigma among SUMSM.

Researchers from the Miami Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM) present their ongoing NIH-funded HIV Implementation Science projects which, in collaboration with community stakeholders, aim to end Miami’s HIV epidemic. 

Moderators:

• Savita Pahwa, MD - Director, Miami Center for AIDS Research; Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
• Steven Safren, PhD - Director, Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health; Professor, Department of Psychology

Presenters:

• Rosina Cianelli, PhD, MPH, RN - Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Health Studies
• Sannisha Dale, PhD - Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
• Susanne Doblecki-Lewis, MD, MSPH - Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Medicine
• Audrey Harkness, PhD - Research Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences
• Mariano Kanamori, PhD - Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences
• Allan Rodriguez, MD - Professor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Medicine

Presenters: Dr. Renessa Williams, Dr. Mariya Petrova, Leah Davis Ewart and Ariana Johnson (predoctoral students)

December 1, 2020

In celebration of World AIDS Day, the Department of Public Health Sciences hosted a symposium showcasing the ongoing work of its predoctoral and postdoctoral students.

Research topics include: 

• Barriers to PrEP uptake
• Substance use patterns among sexual minority men living with HIV
• Substance use and HIV disease management in the era of COVID-19
• HIV-related stigma as a risk factor for unsuppressed viral load

Presenter: Dr. Lunthita Duthely

November 11, 2020

About the Presenter:

Dr. Duthely's research focuses on improving health outcomes for minority women. Her research interests are in understanding the interplay between individual-level barriers, like HIV stigma, and facilitators, such as resiliency, to adherence to care among African American, Caribbean and Latina women living with HIV. This is foundational for a strengths-based approach to design, adapt and implement education and technology­based solutions to support adherence to care.

About the Presentation:

The evolution of the formative work for a multilingual, mHealth intervention to support women living with HIV will be presented. An overview of the study findings, to date, gaps in the literature regarding HIV mHealth interventions and ethical and practical considerations when designing applications for special populations will also be discussed.

Moderator: Dr. Victoria Behar-Zusman

Panelists: Marisabel Canedo, Dr. Sannisha Dale, Maria Khalona, Jasmyn Sanders, Dr. Gira Ravelo, Dr. Patricia Rojas, Dr. Jose Colon-Burgos, Arnetta Phillips

October 9, 2020

In collaboration with Center for Latino Health Research Opportunities (CLaRO)

For event recording, click here.

Presenter: Dr. Victoria Orrego Dunleavy

September 30, 2020

About the Presenter:

Dr. Victoria Orrego's expertise is in health communication with a focus on health promotion and evaluation. Dr. Orrego works to understand and alleviate health disparities among at risk populations such as Latinx and indigenous Mayans by developing innovative, community-based interventions.

About the Presentation:

SEPA (Salud/Health, Educaci6n /Education, Prevenci6n/Prevention, and Autocuidado/Self-Care), has been effective in reducing HIV risk behaviors among Hispanic women and can be utilized to address the socio-cultural factors that perpetuate HIV risk among indigenous Mayan women. This presentation will discuss the results of a pilot study focusing on culturally adapting SEPA content for the Mayan community and examining the feasibility and acceptability of the integration of SEPA into current comadrona (traditional birth attendant) training. Next steps to address the Covid-19 consequences will also be discussed.

Presenter: Dr. Daniel Jimenez

August 26, 2020

About the Presenter:

Dr. Jimenez is a clinical psychologist who has dedicated his career to identifying health disparities affecting the nation’s racial/ethnic minority older adults and developing innovative strategies to reduce, and ultimately eliminate these disparities.

About the Presentation:

The Happy Older Latinos are Active (HOLA) intervention is an innovative health promotion program that is uniquely tailored to meet the diverse needs and circumstances older Latinos living with HIV. This presentation will discuss the results of a pilot study focusing on lowering cardiometabolic risk and how it is being adapted to address the unintended consequences of COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies on older Latinos living with HIV.

Presenters: Dr. Erin Kobetz and Dr. Victoria Behar-Zusman

August 11, 2020

Topics Covered:

• Overview of CBPR and local application
• Experiences conducting CBPR in Little Haiti and other poorly served enclaves in the United States and abroad
• Ethical issues in CBPR

Presenters: Dr. Maria Alcaide, Dr. Lunthita Duthely, Dr. Dainelys Garcia, Dr. Audrey Harkness, Dr. Daniel Jimenez, Dr. Steven Safren, Ms. Maria Tapia, Mr. Andres Vazquez, Dr. Denise Vidot, and Dr. Deborah Jones Weiss

July 23, 2020

Topics Covered:

• Informed consent procedures and other IRB-related issues
• Administering assessments (e.g., web-based, telephone, etc.)
• Interventions (e.g., MHealth, telephone, etc.)
• Specimen collection and safety
• Compensation (e.g., gift cards, cash transfers, etc.)

Presenter: Dr. Emmanuel Thomas

June 6, 2020

About the Presenter:

Dr. Thomas's research program is to develop integrated, multidisciplinary approaches for the study of virus driven diseases and to bridge clinical medicine and basic science with translation of fundamental knowledge to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of viral diseases and related cancers.

About the Presentation:

Having been raised in Miami-Dade county, Dr. Thomas has a strong commitment to improving the health of our local community. Through our community virus screening programs and statewide virus elimination efforts, we are identifying infected individuals and linking them to care. In addition, we are also facilitating the ability of uninsured patients to receive costly medications through patient assistance programs.

Presenter: Dr. Sannisha Dale

May 13, 2020

About the Presenter:

Dr. Dale is the Founder and Director of the SHINE (Strengthening Health through INnovotion and Engagement) Research Program. Dr. Dale's primary research interests include investigating psychosocial (e.g.microoggressions, discrimination) and structural factors (e.g. poverty) that relate to HIV health disparities, developing interventions, and engaging community members and stakeholders in research.

About the Presentation:

The Five Point Initiative is (1) partnering with five venues in five Miami-Dade zip codes with the highest number of Black individuals living with HIV (2) collaborating with community health organizations funded by the CDC, HRSA, and/or SAMHSA and (3) hosting twenty five events in which community members complete a brief electronic survey in exchange for a service/voucher at a venue and are offered HIV /STI voluntary counseling and testing, and condoms.

Presenter: Dr. Audrey Harkness

April 8, 2020

About the Presenter:

Dr. Harkness is a Research Assistant Professor in the University of Miami Department of Public Health Sciences. Her work focuses on HIV-prevention and treatment integrated with behavioral health, primarily among sexual and gender minority populations and Latino MSM.

About the Presentation:

This presentation will provide an overview of the presenter’s mixed methods work which identified barriers and facilitators to Latino MSM utilizing evidence-based HIV-prevention and behavioral health services, and plans to leverage these data to develop a tailored strategy to increase the scale up and dissemination of these services to Latino MSM in the Miami area. The presenter will be seeking feedback on next steps for this program of research. 

Presenter: Dr. Mariano Kanamori

February 19, 2020

About the Presenter:

Dr. Kanamori is an epidemiologist with 26 years of experience designing, developing, implementing and evaluating HIV interventions for Latino communities, including Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) in Miami- Dade County (MDC). He is changing the paradigm for HIV prevention among Latinos through a spatially explicit social network-based model that incorporates geographic information systems and social network approaches.

About the Presentation:

Dr. Kanamori will present his NIH-funded project: FINISHING HIV, which uses a pharmacy network and a parks network to increase awareness and utilization of HIV protection, diagnosis, and treatment services among Latino MSM subgroups in MDC. Dr. Kanamori’s studies show that the HIV epidemic in MDC is driven by Latino MSM who identify as gay, those who identify as bisexual and those who identify as straight.

Presenter: Dr. Hansel E. Tookes

February 12th, 2020

About the Presenter:

Dr. Tookes is a public health physician with extensive experience in working with people living with HIV and people at high risk for acquiring HIV, including people who inject drugs (PWID).

About the Presentation:

PWID experience extensive barriers to engagement in HIV care. It is estimated that less than half of PWID living with HIV in the U.S. are virally suppressed. Test and Treat approaches are associated with viral suppression; however, more is needed when engaging PWID into HIV care. Telemedicine has been successful for direct patient consultation for HIV care. The progress on local implementation and plans for statewide expansion of the Telemedicine Test and Treat approach will be discussed.

Presenters: Dr. Sara Mijares St-George and Dr. Joseph De Santis

December 6, 2019

About the presentation:

Data Collection - Developing a question guide; Participant sampling and sample size considerations; Types of data collection; Interview skills; Equipment, recording procedures; Transcription

Presenter: Dr. Adam Carrico

November 20, 2019

About the Presenter:

Dr. Carrico is a clinical-health psychologist with expertise in developing and testing integrative interventions to optimize HIV/AIDS prevention efforts with individuals who engage in problematic patterns of alcohol or other substance use.

About the Presentation:

Suicidality is a prevalent comorbidity in people living with HIV (PLWH) who use substances. However, little is known about the predictors and consequences of suicidality in this population. This presentation will leverage findings from a study conducted by the NIDA Clinical Trials Network that enrolled PLWH who use substances from 11 hospitals in the U.S. Findings highlight the multi-level determinants of suicidality in PLWH and demonstrate that higher suicidality is independently associated with lower odds of viral suppression.

Presenter: Dr. Raymond Balise

November 20th, 2019

About the Presenter:

Dr. Balise is an award winning lecturer and the author of “Presenting Medical Statistics from Proposal to Publication” and more than a hundred peer reviewed publications and refereed presentations in topics including phonetics to obstetrics, dyspepsia to dyslexia and health disparity to brachytherapy. He is currently working on projects tackling HIV, substance abuse or health disparities.

About the Presentation:

This presentation is geared towards people who do not love math but who need to make the best possible predictions about patient outcomes and the effects of health policy changes. Attendees will be introduced to Machine Learning (ML) methods and shown why they make better predictions for patient outcomes when compared to other traditional methods. Examples include using ML to predict breast cancer based on images and predicting survival after catastrophic burns. The utility of traditional hypothesis testing methods and the importance of model validation will be discussed. These methods include k-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machines, Decision Trees, Random Forests and Neural Networks.

Presenter: Sonjia Kenya, Ed.D., M.S., M.A.

October 23, 2019

About the Presenter:

Dr. Kenya is an Associate Professor of General Medicine & Public Health at the University of Miami, and the Director of Community Health at the Weiss Institute for Health Equity at the Sylvester Cancer Center. She conducts various HIV research and service programs targeting high risk Black populations in Miami‐Dade County. Dr. Kenya currently leads one of the largest street‐based rapid HIV testing programs in the County.