My one on one with Nnenna M. Ozobia, MA – Community Programs Manager T. Wilkins
Q: So tell me about the organization. How long has it been in existence and how long have you been with the organization?
Bridge HIV works with local and international communities to discover effective HIV prevention strategies through our research, community partnerships, and educational initiatives. We are a 100% grant-funded, nonprofit that operates as a clinical trials unit within the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Our leadership consists of well-known and respected leaders in the HIV field who conduct innovative research that guides global approaches in prevention. We were formerly the HIV Research Section of the Department of Public Health and have been working to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS locally and globally since the early 1980s. I have been working with Bridge HIV for over a year now.
Q: Where did the name Bridge HIV come from? Is there a specific significance?
Our name is connected to our organizational tagline, or slogan, which is “Where science meets community.” Our work is informed by diverse community partnerships with San Francisco Bay Area Community based organizations and through a close partnership with our Community Advisory Group (CAG). Our CAG is a dedicated group of individuals who represent the Bay Area community and with whom we consult regularly to ensure that our research is responsive to the needs and concerns of our diverse Bay Area populations.
Q: What’s the mission of the organization and what services do you offer?
We are an HIV prevention research organization. Our mission is to collaborate with communities in conducting innovative research that will guide local and global HIV prevention. By collaborating with researchers and communities, our scientific breakthroughs are used to help people most affected by the epidemic.
Through community input, education, informed consent, and ongoing relationships with our amazing and diverse study volunteers, we conduct clinical trials in accordance with stringent local, state, federal, and international regulations. Research study participation also includes risk reduction counseling, HIV and STI testing, and the opportunity to provide invaluable, direct feedback about what participants like or do not like, which can help inform new product development. Our studies are reviewed, locally, by the UCSF Committee on Human Research as well as by national, data and safety monitoring boards and an Institutional Review Board at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Q: Are we still in an epidemic stage in terms of HIV prevention?
Yes, the fight to end the HIV epidemic continues. It’s a big misconception that HIV is not really a problem anymore—that because more people are getting treated, it’s not still spreading. We actually are seeing an increase in infections among young men who have sex with men, particularly young black and Latino men who have sex with men. The explanation for this is complicated, but we are focusing on increasing community engagement and on exploring new strategies like home HIV testing and online sexual risk assessment tools.
Q: Talk to me about your studies. What kind do you conduct? How often are they? How do they work and how does one participate?
At Bridge HIV, we collaborate internationally with scientists and educators that develop and test the safety and efficacy of interventions designed to stop the spread of HIV as well as those involved in the search for an effective and safe HIV vaccine. We usually have multiple studies going on at the same time. Our current vaccine studies are Phase 1 studies, in which products are tested on a small group of healthy volunteers at very low risk for HIV.