Description:

People living with HIV (PLWH) often have unrecognized and untreated mental health and/or substance use disorders. People living with comorbid HIV, depression, anxiety, or substance use disorder are at risk of not engaging in HIV care, have poor treatment adherence, and are more likely to engage in activities that may lead to onward HIV transmission. Utilizing a population health approach to mental and behavioral health screening via the electronic patient portal provides a novel way to reach PLWH experiencing various barriers in their HIV care.

This Third Coast CFAR Clinical Sciences Core workshop will provide mixed methods research exploring and implementing healthcare system interventions to increase screening and treatment for anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder at the University of Chicago Medicine Ryan White HIV clinic. Neda Laiteerapong, MD, MS, FACP, and Jessica Ridgway, MD, will co-present research from Third Coast CFAR pilot and supplement awards, as well as additional recent research.

About the Presenters:

Neda Laiteerapong, MD, MS, FACP, is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and associate director for the Center for Chronic Disease Research and Policy. She is committed to promoting lifelong health by individualizing the prevention and treatment of physical and mental chronic diseases. Laiteerapong is a leading researcher in the field of individualizing diabetes treatment and leads local efforts to integrate behavioral health care into primary care. 

Jessica Ridgway, MD, is an associate professor of medicine in the section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health at the University of Chicago, director of predictive analytics for the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, and co-director of the Third Coast CFAR’s Clinical Sciences Core. Her research utilizes large electronic medical record databases to understand HIV epidemiology across the continuum of care. Ridgway studies implementation of clinical informatics approaches for improving HIV care and prevention, with a specific focus on HIV prevention among cisgender women.