Since 2015, Dr. Wagman has been involved with the Uganda Russia Boston Alcohol Network for Alcohol Research Collaboration on HIV/AIDS (URBAN ARCH) Consortium, a member of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) CHAART (Consortiums for HIV/AIDS and Alcohol Research Translation) initiative. URBAN ARCH conducts and disseminates interdisciplinary research aimed at understanding how alcohol use impacts people affected by HIV and develops interventions to reduce alcohol use and alcohol and HIV-related consequences in this population.

One of the core URBAN ARCH studies is St PETER which stands for “Studying Partial-agonists for Ethanol and Tobacco Elimination in Russians” with HIV. St PETER aims to compare the effects of varenicline, cytisine, and nicotine replacement therapy among HIV-infected heavy drinkers and smokers on alcohol and cigarette use, inflammation and mortality risk.

Among persons who inject drugs, women have a higher HIV prevalence (than men) in many settings. In high-income countries, hazardous alcohol use is associated with reduced receipt of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and viral suppression among people living with HIV (PLHIV) who inject drugs. These associations, however, are less understood in lower middle-income countries and upper middle-income countries.

To design effective public health promotion programs, our research has focused on understanding how gender affects risk for infection among HIV-negative people and HIV transmission among PLHIV who currently or previously injected drugs. We also aim to examine associations between hazardous alcohol use, ART receipt, and viral suppression among PLHIV who are current or former injection drug use.

Funding Source

Resources

Hazardous alcohol use, antiretroviral therapy receipt, and viral suppression in people living with HIV who inject drugs in the United States, India, Russia, and Vietnam
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33048870/

Female Gender and HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors Among People Living with HIV Who Have Ever Used Injection Drugs in St. Petersburg, Russia
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29797161/

Serodiscordant partnerships and opportunities for pre-exposure prophylaxis among partners of women and men living with HIV in St. Petersburg, Russia
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30444903/