Non-injection substance use comprises the majority of substance use among people infected with HIV worldwide and may be driving HIV transmission. An important gap in research includes understanding how non-injection substance use affects antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, viral load (VL), and sexual risk among those infected with HIV.

Dr. Tsuyuki’s HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) Scholars project conducts a secondary data analysis of HIV-infected men and women in Brazil, Thailand, and Zambia, with the specific aims:

(1) To examine how type and pattern of substance use affect sexual risk, ART adherence, and VL.

(2) To identify socio-structural factors that may mediate links between substance use and sexual risk, ART adherence, and VL.