Research

Research at Howard Brown Health

Howard Brown Health has a long history of participating in community-based education, research and advocacy aimed at addressing gaps in healthcare practice.  Howard Brown’s research activities began in the late 1970s when the organization first identified high rates of hepatitis B (HBV) among its patients, initiating a new research program that eventually the development of the HBV vaccine.  Since then, Howard Brown has been involved in nationally-funded research initiatives aimed at addressing critical disparities in LGBTQ+ health, focused on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, infectious disease, smoking cessation and preventive care, gender affirming care and implementation studies.

The Center for Education, Research and Advocacy (ERA) conducts cutting-edge clinical research studies and social behavioral interventions that address LGBTQ+ community priorities. Our research studies help test the safety and efficacy of new medications and devices as well as implementation of new interventions. ERA studies focus on topics such as new HIV/AIDS prevention interventions, chronic disease management, behavioral health interventions, patient engagement, cancer and care coordination.

The Center for Education Research and Advocacy at Howard Brown Health is proud to facilitate studies in both Clinical, Social Behavioral, and Community Based Research.

Clinical Research

Our clinical trials advance treatments and technologies that work for LGBTQ+ people as well as offer expanded access treatments to patients who need them. ERA participates in drug and device trials, ranging from Phase II-IV, focusing on Infectious Diseases. This scope includes treatment naïve & treatment experienced (HIV/AIDS), intervention (PrEP) and sexually transmitted infections. The ERA research team has participated in research that is vital to the HIV impacted population, helping to bring highly safe and effective treatment and device options to our community, as well as new medications for salvage therapy. In addition, we participate in HIV treatment simplification trials to identify better strategies to care for people living with HIV. Howard Brown’s research team includes clinical research coordinators & research assistants to support our ongoing clinical research.

Social Behavioral Research

ERA’s social behavioral studies range from randomized control trials to testing the adoption of evidence-based practice in real world settings. Our research plays an important role in better understanding how patients access primary care as well as what hinders patient retention and treatment implementation. ERA participates in an array of behavioral studies focusing on patient linkage and retention in HIV care and treatment, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation, social media outreach and engagement in primary care, support for patients with cancer diagnoses, and vaccination completion.

Community Based Research

Howard Brown is committed to community-informed research that recognizes researchers, community-based organizations, and community members as important contributors to the research process. We are dedicated to conducting research that respects the rights of participants, addresses community needs and uses study data to address health disparities and improve health outcomes for the LGBTQ+ community.

Research Administration