the Mpowerment Project

01/20/2026

☑ Young gay and bi men 18-29
☑ Builds community resilience
☑ Friendships first
☑ Engagement in care
☑ HIV prevention
☑ Fights HIV stigma

Mpowerment Project - HIV prevention requires a community solution.

Did you know you can find Mpowerment Project audio-slideshows and even our manual on our website? SO much to discover! http://mpowerment.org/

Mpoweroly (2012) - https://youtu.be/LlRQLINZFzI?si=UeWkrHSo-8-66Aae

12/16/2025

HELP US END THE LATINO HIV CASCADING DISASTER: Announcing the launch of a new microsite from the Johns Hopkins Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health and Institute for Policy Solutions to boost visibility of the U.S. Latino HIV crisis.

Health and social welfare inequities have placed Latino communities on a devastating HIV trajectory—impossible to reverse without urgent, collective action from us all.

Learn more and get involved: https://nursing.jhu.edu/institute-for-policy-solutions-at-the-johns-hopkins-school-of-nursing/clafh/latino-hiv-crisis/

12/09/2025

The Mpowerment Project (MP) is an evidence-based, community mobilization intervention that empowers young men who have s*x with men (YMSM) and their communities to prevent HIV, increase regular HIV testing, and support those living with HIV to engage in care.

MP reaches many different social networks, builds peer support, shifts social norms, and has been successfully adapted for young Black and Latino MSM.

MP helps communities meet evolving HIV prevention (e.g., PrEP, DoxyPEP) and care priorities. Visit the Mpowerment Project website https://mpowerment.org/

Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 - Thursday, January 15, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM MT
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Registration will be open through 12/12/2025 9:59 PM.

For more information, visit - https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0087-0004-1242ea233afe4e5d8b1cc1769598cd4d

Please reach out to [email protected] any questions about this event.

12/02/2025

The Mpowerment Project (MP) is an evidence-based, community mobilization intervention that empowers young men who have s*x with men (YMSM) and their communities to prevent HIV, increase regular HIV testing, and support those living with HIV to engage in care.

MP reaches many different social networks, builds peer support, shifts social norms, and has been successfully adapted for young Black and Latino MSM.

MP helps communities meet evolving HIV prevention (e.g., PrEP, DoxyPEP) and care priorities. Visit the Mpowerment Project website https://mpowerment.org/

Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 - Thursday, January 15, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM MT
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Registration will be open through 12/12/2025 9:59 PM.

For more information, visit - https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0087-0004-1242ea233afe4e5d8b1cc1769598cd4d

Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions about this event.

11/25/2025

The Mpowerment Project (MP) is an evidence-based, community mobilization intervention that empowers young men who have s*x with men (YMSM) and their communities to prevent HIV, increase regular HIV testing, and support those living with HIV to engage in care.

MP reaches many different social networks, builds peer support, shifts social norms, and has been successfully adapted for young Black and Latino MSM.

MP helps communities meet evolving HIV prevention (e.g., PrEP, DoxyPEP) and care priorities. Visit the Mpowerment Project website https://mpowerment.org/

Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 - Thursday, January 15, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM MT
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Registration will be open through 12/12/2025 9:59 PM.

For more information, visit mpowerment.org.- https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0087-0004-1242ea233afe4e5d8b1cc1769598cd4d

Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions about this event.

04/09/2025

http://ow.ly/FZJg50Eh68k - Stay up-to-date on our latest Youth-focused HIV studies. Connect with us. The investigators are listed for each study

✅ BEEM (Black Economic Equity Movement). Investigators: Sheri A Lippman (MPI/UCSF); Marguerita Lightfoot (MPI/OHSU); Margaret Libby (MPI/MyPath); Emily Arnold (UCSF); Starley Shade (UCSF); Will Dow (UCB).

✅ Partner Violence, and COVID-19 On HIV Care Engagement Among Young Black S*xual Minority Men With HIV In The US South. Investigator: Susan Kegeles

✅ Young Adult Perspectives on S*x, Dating, and PrEP Use During the Pandemic and Improving the Future of PrEP Care. Investigators: Christina E. Camp, Carrie T. Chan, Parya Saberi

✅ Texas PrEP Implementation Study. Investigators: Susan Kegeles, Greg Rebchook, Robert Williams, Scott Tebbetts, Andres Maiorana http://mpowerment.org/

✅ Perceptions of Risks and Benefits of Participating in HIV Cure-related Research among Diverse Youth and Young Adults Living with HIV in the United States. Investigators: Parya Saberi (PI), Karine Dubé, John Sauceda (co-I), Chad Campbell (Research Coordinator) https://youth4cure.ucsf.edu/

✅ What does it mean to be youth-friendly? Results from qualitative interviews with health care providers and clinic staff serving youth and young adults living with HIV. Investigators: Parya Saberi, Kristin Ming, Carol Dawson-Rose.

✅ Food Insecurity and Unmet Needs Among Youth and Young Adults Living with HIV in the San Francisco Bay Area. Investigators: Christian Reeder, Torsten B. Neilands, Kartika Palar, Parya Saberi

✅ Comparing Mobile Health Strategies to Improve Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Use (PrEP) for HIV Prevention. Investigators: Al Liu, Janet Myers, Kim Koester

✅ Video-Counseling Intervention to Address HIV Care Engagement, Mental Health, and Substance Use Challenges: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial for Youth and Young Adults Living with HIV. Investigators: Parya Saberi, Caravella McCuistian, Emily Agnew, Angie R. Wootton, Dominique A. Legnitto Packard, Carol Dawson-Rose, Mallory O. Johnson, Valerie A. Gruber, and Torsten B. Neilands

✅ WYZ: A Mobile Health Application for Engagement in Care among Youth Living with HIV. Investigators: Parya Saberi (PI), Theodore Ruel (co-I), Torsten Neilands (co-I), Mallory Johnson (co-I), Xavier Erguera (Research Coordinator)

✅ Intervention to Improve Virologic Suppression Among Youth (iVY). Investigators: Parya Saberi, Tor Neilands (co-I), Valerie Gruber (co-I), Caravella McCuistian (co-I), and Mallory Johnson (co-I), Kristin Ming (Clinical Research Supervisor), Louis Smith (Research Coordinator), Celeste Balaban (Study Counselor) https://ivy.ucsf.edu/

✅ Y2TEC: Youth to Text or Telehealth for Engagement in HIV Care. Investigators: Parya Saberi (co-PI), Carol Dawson-Rose (co-PI), Valerie Gruber (co-I), Torsten Neilands (co-I), Dominique Legnitto (Research Coordinator), Caravella McCuistian (Research Fellow), Angie Wooten (Study Social Worker) https://y2tec.ucsf.edu/

✅ Youth Ending the HIV Epidemic – Automated Directly Observed Therapy Pilot: Improving HIV Care Among Youth. Investigators: Parya Saberi, Kristin Ming (Clinical Research Supervisor), Louis Smith (Research Coordinator)

✅ In Our Own Words: Peer-to-Peer Messaging to Increase Uptake of HIV Prevention Strategies among Adolescents in Kenya. Investigators: Hong-Ha Truong

✅ Addressing the Continuum of Care and Prevention among High-Risk Thai Men. Investigators: Susan Kegeles, Scott Tebbetts

06/10/2024

06/05/2024

🌟 TOWN HALL VIDEO: "PrEP Choice: Are We Ready for All the Options?" 🌟 https://youtu.be/gO4geB0BYCs

🎥 Featuring: Hyman Scott, MD, MPH. Clinical Research Medical Director, Bridge HIV, SFDPH. Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCSF

Join us to learn about the latest advancements in PrEP and HIV prevention from Dr. Hyman Scott! 🩺

🔹 Dr. Scott's Background:
- MD from Yale School of Medicine
- Completed Internal Medicine residency, Chief Residency, and Infectious Disease fellowship at UCSF
- Specialized in HIV-related racial/ethnic disparities among MSM
- Awarded NIMH K23 grant for a mobile app-based HIV intervention for young Black and Latino MSM in the Bay Area

🔹 Research Interests:
- HIV prevention and COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials
- Expanding HIV/STI testing and PrEP through technology
- Addressing racial/ethnic disparities in HIV incidence

🔹 Current Roles:
- HIV and PrEP provider at the Positive Health Program (Ward 86)
- Leads PrEP implementation at SFDPH primary care clinics
- Medical Director at the SF AIDS Foundation Strut Clinic

PrEP Choice: Are we ready for all the options? Hyman Scott, MD, MPH Clinical Research Medical Director, Bridge HIV San Francisco Department of Public Health...

04/25/2024

Mpowerment Training June 5th-7th - San Francisco, CA

We are now ready to register people for the Mpowerment Training on June 5th-7th. This training is designed for agencies that are currently running an Mpowerment Project or have already received funding to start an Mpowerment Project.

If you want to see if an Mpowerment Project may be right for your community, please read more at www.mpowerment.org.

Those interested in attending this training should apply using the following link: https://ucsf.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e5kjFz13CisZWMS. After you have submitted your application, please wait to book any travel until you receive an email of acceptance.

There is a limited amount of space at the training, so I recommend you register right away for each person attending the training or email me letting me know how many staff members will be attending so I can hold space for you. Your space is not guaranteed until I receive your application, and all attendees must register for this training.

The training will start at 9:00 am each day, so most people will need to fly in the day before the training. We will finish at 5:00 pm on Friday, so please plan to leave sometime after about 7:30 pm on Friday (or the weekend). You must attend the entire training to receive a certificate of completion.

There is no registration fee for this training. You will need to make all of your travel arrangements.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Ben Zovod (pronouns: he/him/his)
[email protected]
Project Coordinator
Division of Prevention Science, University of California, San Francisco

10/30/2023

https://youtu.be/rp4VrAGZuWM - VIDEO. The UCSF Chancellor Awards for Diversity. Greg Rebchook PhD, Faculty Recipient of Chancellor Award for LGBTQI Leadership (2023)

"No oppression exists by itself. Racism is connected to homophobia, is connected to transphobia, ageism, and ableism - whatever the 'isms' are, they are all connected, and we all live intersectional lives. If we want to achieve health equity, and really meet our diversity goals, we can't just address one of those 'isms', we need to address them all." - Greg Rebchook

UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS)

In grounding clinical care and research in community empowerment, Greg Rebchook has enhanced well-being and increased agency for patients, and developed vita...

08/02/2023

https://go.cms.gov/3JYzxjb - On July 12, CMS proposed a National Coverage Determination for PrEP using antiretrovirals for persons at high risk of HIV acquisition and additional screenings for HIV and hepatitis B virus for high-risk patients.

Comments are due by August 23.

https://youtu.be/xt7k_x0u8PA - VIDEO. ​Join national experts to learn current and emerging strategies in the PrEP funding landscape, including PrEP4All, 340B drug pricing, Ready Set PrEP, PrEP Assistance Programs, and more.

This virtual training will provide the following:

• An understanding of the current patchwork of existing financing mechanisms and programs

• Increased skills to identify and navigate the challenges in the current funding landscape

• Advocacy action steps for holistic and equitable PrEP delivery and infrastructure

CMS Signs National Coverage Determination for PrEP On July 12, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed National Coverage Dete...

07/31/2023

https://tiny.ucsf.edu/St9jEy - TOMORROW. PrEP Choice: Are we ready for all the options? with Hyman Scott, MD, MPH Clinical Research Medical Director, Bridge HIV
San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH)
Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCSF

Tuesday, August. 1st, 2023
11:00 am – 12:00 pm PST
Zoom Meeting - https://tiny.ucsf.edu/St9jEy

Hyman Scott, MD, MPH is the Clinical Research Medical Director at Bridge HIV in the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He received his MD from Yale School of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine residency, Chief Residency, Infectious Disease fellowship, and post-doctoral research training in the Traineeship for AIDS Prevention Studies at UCSF. He is particularly interested in the epidemiology of HIV-related racial/ethnic disparities among men who have s*x with men (MSM), and interventions to reduce these disparities. Dr. Scott was awarded an NIMH K23 grant to develop and test a mobile app-based combination HIV intervention of home HIV self-testing, STI self-collection, and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake among young Black and Latino MSM in the San Francisco Bay Area. His research focuses on implementing HIV prevention and COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, using technology to expand HIV/STI testing and PrEP, and addressing racial/ethnic disparities in HIV incidence. Dr. Scott is also an HIV and PrEP provider at the Positive Health Program (Ward 86). He leads PrEP implementation within the San Francisco Department of Health primary care clinics and serves as medical director for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation Strut Clinic.

The CAPS Developmental Core hosts this presentation.
Town Hall Chair: Parya Saberi, PharmD