Are Prior Sexual Risk Behaviors Associated With Adherence to COVID-19 Preventative Behaviors Among Young Black Men?

Background: Behavioral clustering is a phenomenon in which several risk or protective behaviors co-occur in an individual. We sought to determine if prior sexual risk behaviors among young Black men who have sex with women could predict subsequent nonadherence to COVID-19 prevention behaviors.

Methods: Young Black men who have sex with women aged 15 to 24 years previously enrolled in a community-based Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) screening program were enrolled in a substudy between May and June 2020 and asked about adherence to 4 COVID-19 recommended nonpharmaceutical prevention behaviors (handwashing, mask wearing, social distancing, and following stay at home orders).

Effectiveness of Incentivized Peer Referral to Increase Enrollment in a Community-Based Chlamydia Screening and Treatment Study Among Young Black Men.

Objectives: Young Black men are under-represented in sexual health services and research, a condition likely magnified during COVID-19 shutdowns due to disruption of STI screening and treatment services. We examined the effect of incentivized peer referral (IPR) increasing peer referral among young Black men in a community-based chlamydia screening program.

Methods: Young Black men in New Orleans, LA, age 15-26 years enrolled in a chlamydia screening program between 3/2018 and 5/2021 were included.

Sexual Networks and STI Infection Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Women in a Southern U.S. City.

Purpose: The configuration of one's sexual network has been shown to influence sexually transmitted infection (STI) acquisition in some populations. Young Black men who have sex with women (MSW) have high rates of STIs, yet little is known about their sexual networks. The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics of sexual networks and their association with selected STI infections among young Black MSW.

Critical Consciousness as a Framework for Health Equity-Focused Peer Learning.

Introduction: Recognizing the need to teach concepts of health equity, diversity, and inclusion as a part of medical students' preclinical training, we developed a series of workshops in the first year of medical school that introduced students to issues of discrimination and inequity and their effects on health outcomes. This student-led, faculty-supported project, known as Critical Consciousness in Medicine (CCM), adopted critical consciousness as a guiding principle for student learning.

Methods: Over the course of the 2018-2019 academic year, student leaders developed and delivered five 2-hour workshops to 197 first-year students, with the assistance of student facilitators and input and guidance from faculty advisors.

Bloom syndrome: research and data priorities for the development of precision medicine as identified by some affected families.

Bloom syndrome (BS) is a rare, autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by short stature, a skin rash associated with sun exposure, and an elevated likelihood of developing cancers of essentially all types, beginning at an early age. Cancer is the leading cause of death for persons with BS, and its early onset results in a reported median lifespan of <30 years. With fewer than 300 documented cases since BS was first described in 1954, its rarity has challenged progress in advancing both the care of and the cure for persons with BS.