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Brighton & Sussex Medical School

HIV, sexual and Women's health

BSMS > Research > Global health and Infection > Research areas > HIV, Sexual and Women's Health

HIV, Sexual and Women's Health

The HIV, Sexual and Women’s Health group conducts basic sciences, clinical and policy-related research to improve prevention, diagnosis, and management of people affected by HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We also conduct research on women’s health and menstrual hygiene. 

Our research group aims to:

  • Improve the evidence base on key issues relating to HIV, Sexual Health and Women’s Health internationally
  • To produce research that influences policy and practice
  • Improve the lived experience and clinical outcomes of HIV and STIs at all stages of the life course
  • Encourage equity in access to modern diagnostics, preventions and treatments
  • Reduce the inequalities that women face in access to health care and sustainable menstrual hygiene

Our researchers lead both local and international research programmes and collaborate on projects with European, African and South American partners.

Currently our focus is on four key themes.

  1. HIV ageing, comorbidities and the brain
  2. HIV & STI management 
  3. HIV & climate change
  4. Women’s Health

See more on LinkedIn here >

Woman on an exercise machine

HIV ageing, comorbidities and the brain

HIV ageing, comorbidities, and models of care

Increased life expectancy in people living with HIV has brought the challenges of ageing and comorbidities to HIV clinical care. Our aim is to advance knowledge and practice to improve the management of ageing people living with HIV affected by frailty and comorbidities. Our work focuses on the study of comorbidities affecting people with HIV and the development and evaluation of innovative models of care to improve the management of ageing people with HIV.

HIV and the Brain

Our research aims to understand the mechanisms associated with the development of cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with HIV using brain imaging techniques and biomarkers. We also have a research interest in developing models of care and interventions to improve the quality of life of people with HIV and cognitive impairment. One such initiative is the Orange Clinic in Brighton – a specialist HIV memory service providing diagnosis and management for individuals experiences these issues.

Find out more here >

Martin Fisher Foundation Pilot Digital HIV testing Vending Machine

HIV and STI prevention and treatment

HIV treatment strategies

Recently a new type of HIV treatment has been developed which is given by intramuscular injection every two to six months instead of daily pills. The development of long-acting injectable therapy is a potential game changer for people living with HIV. Through our clinical trials, virology, observational and qualitative research in UK and Africa we aim to generate data to support the implementation of these new therapies on diverse populations in both high- and low-income settings. Dolutegravir, which is the most widely used HIV drug worldwide, is suspected to increase the risk of diabetes in some individuals. Our research has studied this risk in detail through the use of continuous glucose monitors in Zambia.

CORAL study

The CORAL Study (Cabotegravir and Rilpivirine Real World Experience) aims to increase understanding of the uptake, delivery and effectiveness of injectable HIV treatment, by collecting real world data on the use of injectable 2-monthly long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine in NHS clinics across the UK.

Read more here >

ACACIA Study 

The ACACIA Study (Acceptability of long-acting ART in Cognitive Impairment) is an exploratory study of the acceptability and impact on health-related quality of life of long-acting injectable cabotegravir and rilpivirine in people with HIV who have a cognitive impairment.

Read more here >

HIV and STI prevention

Our research focuses on developing interventions to improve access to Sexual Health and HIV prevention using innovative approaches such as digital vending machines dispensing HIV and sexually transmitted infection test kits and mHealth pathways of care. Our team developed and evaluated for the first time a bespoke digital vending machine to deliver HIV self-tests in Brighton that won a BMJ award for Innovation in 2018. Our research on young people’s preferences for the management of sexually transmitted infections in South Africa was used by the WHO as a case study on how to integrate STI care within services offering HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (p.34).

Read more here >

Vending machines offering convenient STI testing could revolutionise sexual health

In a ground-breaking, year-long pilot programme, vending machines dispensing self-test kits for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have proven to be an effective and widely accepted means of reaching individuals who rarely or never get tested. The results of the pilot, published online in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, suggest that these machines should be integrated into the digital landscape of sexual health services. 

Read more here >

Presenter showing graphical data at the Africa Health Research Institute conference

HIV and climate change

Climate change and health

The environmental consequences of multiple facets of climate change such as sea-level rise, increasing temperatures, more extreme weather events (EWEs) impact human health and lives. The health risks associated with such EWEs will continue to be distributed inequitably, with vulnerable populations and regions affected differently. Our research focusses on the impact of climate hazards on the health of specific population sub-groups such as those with pre-existing health conditions.

ASTRA project

ASTRA aims to engage and involve stakeholders, including the community, to co-design and deliver research that proposes, prioritises and evaluates interventions to strengthen community and health system resilience to extreme weather events (EWEs) on vulnerable populations living with HIV and/or tuberculosis in Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. These three Southern African countries have comparable contexts concerning exposures to EWEs, health systems structures and public health priorities, but have differing capacities in the ability of their health systems to respond to EWEs. 

S3E project

Following catastrophic flooding in South Africa in April 2022, the S3E project aims to i) understand the impact of the floods on healthcare utilisation, lives and livelihoods amongst people living with HIV (PLHIV); ii) quantify economic productivity losses and healthcare costs associated with the floods; iii) identify and create a priority list of sustainable and adaptive actions to minimise the health, economic and social impacts of floods on PLHIV.

Choir with choir leader

Women's Health

Our work in Menstrual Health includes the establishment of an international research network exploring Menstrual Health, human rights and environmental sustainability in Uganda, Sudan and Kenya and the UK. This work aligns with Centre for Cultures of Reproduction, Technologies and Health at the University of Sussex (CORTH). We explore how to represent young menstruators' needs through citizen science. The Period Dignity Project at Sussex supports access to menstrual products and is developing the approach to menstrual health policy.

We are also undertaking research into inequalities relating to women’s access to healthcare, particularly focused on underserved areas of coastal UK. 

Current research


 Title

 Local contact

 HIV treatment strategies

 

 CORAL: Cabotegravir & rilpivirine real world experience

 Dr Fiona Creswell

 E: F.Cresswell@bsms.ac.uk

 ACACIA: Acceptability, and impact on health-related
 quality of life of long-acting cabotegravir & rilpivirine in
 people with HIV and cognitive impairment

 

 Dr Katie Alford:

 E: K.Alford3@bsms.ac.uk

 LEAP: Exploring perceptions, barriers, facilitators and unmet   need for injectable lenacapavir in the management of HIV

 

 Dr Katie Alford:

 E: K.Alford3@bsms.ac.uk

 Ageing, comorbidities and models of care

 

 SILVER: Testing the feasibility and acceptability of
 case-finding and subsequent comprehensive geriatric   assessment intervention for older people with HIV with
 frailty

 

 Natalie St Clair-Sullivan

 E: N.StClair-Sullivan@bsms.ac.uk

 QTUG: Acceptability and feasibility of digital
 assessment of falls risk, frailty and mobility impairment using   wearable sensors in people with HIV as part of HIV care

 

 Dr Claire Norcross

 E: c.norcross@nhs.net

 Developing capacity for research, innovation and knowledge   exchange in HIV and non-communicable diseases between   Southern-Ethiopia and the UK

 

 Prof Jaime Vera

 E: j.vera@bsms.ac.uk

 HIV and the brain

 

 BIC CNS: Brain connectivity and patient reported outcomes
 in people with HIV with symptoms of insomnia switching   integrase inhibitor-based ART

 Dr Katie Alford:

 E: K.Alford3@bsms.ac.uk

 INSIDE: Imaging Neuroinflammation in Persistent
 Depression Amongst People Living with HIV
 (INSIDE-HIV)

 

 Arish Mudra

 E:Arish.MudraRakshasa@ed.ac.uk

 UPLIFT: Understanding Priorities for improving quality
 of lIfe in people with HIV and cognitive impairment 

 

 Dr Katie Alford:

 E: K.Alford3@bsms.ac.uk

 HIV and STI prevention

 

 Development of a mHealth pathway to expand and
 enhance comprehensive sexual and reproductive health
 services for young people in Zambia

 Prof Jaime Vera

 E: j.vera@bsms.ac.uk 

 Acceptability and feasibility of electronic vending machines for   delivering HIV self-testing and STI self-sampling kits: a mixed   methods study.

 

 Prof Jaime Vera

 E: j.vera@bsms.ac.uk

 Developing capacity for research, innovation and knowledge   exchange in HIV between Colombia and the UK

 

 Prof Jaime Vera

 E: j.vera@bsms.ac.uk

 

 Health systems analysis and evaluations of the barriers to     availability, utilisation and readiness of selected sexual and   reproductive health services in COVID-19 affected areas

 

 Prof Jaime Vera

 E: j.vera@bsms.ac.uk

 Climate and health research

 

 Adaptations to strengthen healthcare delivery and resilience
 to extreme weather events in Southern Africa (ASTRA)

 

 Prof Collins Iwuji

 E: c.iwuji@bsms.ac.uk

 The impact of extreme weather events on the mental health
 of vulnerable populations in Africa (WEMA)

 Prof Collins Iwuji

 E: c.iwuji@bsms.ac.uk

 Evaluation of the Social and Economic impact of
 Extreme weather Events in people living with HIV (S3E)

 Dr Saeideh Babashahi
 E: s.babashahi@bsms.ac.uk
 Dr Kingsley Orievulu 
 E: Kingsley.Orievulu@ahri.org

 Weather and cause specific mortality in Kenya and
 South Africa 

 Prof Collins Iwuji
 E: c.iwuji@bsms.ac.uk

 Women's Health

  

 

 Menstrual health

 Sustainability in menstrual hygiene

 Dr Chi Eziefula

 E: c.eziefula@bsms.ac.uk

 Drivers of inequalities relating to women’s access to sexual
 healthcare, particularly focused on underserved areas of 
 coastal UK

 Dr Kiersten Simmons

 E: k.simmons@bsms.ac.uk