Rejuvenating Community Based Research with urban MSM: How an experienced community health center is changing with the HIV epidemic to remain relevant

Issues: As the HIV epidemic has changed over time, the level of urgency among men who have sex with men (MSM) to be involved in community based research (CBR Research) for HIV prevention has diminished. Inter-agency competition for the same population of participants is causing over saturation in the community. Participants are being overwhelmed with a wide variety of HIV related studies and not offered the study best suited to their needs. Developing new strategies for engaging MSM to volunteer for HIV prevention research is crucial. Description: As a community health care facility we have developed methods of engaging potential participants through services such as HIV counseling and testing, general medical services, behavioral health care, and internal referrals from the research department as well as via social media. The organization has established a unique focus on training staff members to provide information about all Community Based Research projects and to guide participants in the process of selecting the most appropriate intervention for the participant. Lessons learned: The improvement in communication strategies for Community Based Research has resulted in coordinated efforts of the health center to re-engage MSM to participate in HIV prevention research. Successful strategies have included an emphasis on social media, collaboration across studies and referrals from staff and services within the health center. Recommendations: Collect data within the organization on resources available to determine trends and possible opportunities to collaborate. Unify recruitment efforts across studies to providing enriching volunteer experiences for participants.