Publications by authors named "S W Beckham"

Gender-affirming surgeries, which have well-established mental health benefits, were cancelled and delayed for transgender people worldwide during the COVID-19 crisis. Of 253 scheduled gender-affirming surgeries among transgender adults across 35 countries in late 2020, 27% (=69) reported that the COVID-19 crisis limited their access to gender-affirming surgery (i.e.

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We assessed acceptability of nonoral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) formulations among transgender women (TW) engaged in street-based sex work in Baltimore, Maryland. In a -means cluster analysis, TW (=36) were partitioned into groups characterized by high interest in long-acting injectable PrEP only (, 36%), high interest in injectables and subdermal implants (, 36%), and low interest across PrEP formulations (, 28%). TW's interest in novel PrEP agents varied widely across formulations (range: 22-66%) and clustered around numerous relational, occupational, and structural factors, highlighting the importance of availing multiple PrEP formulations for this impacted population.

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Introduction: Transgender women in the United States experience high HIV incidence and suboptimal Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) engagement. We sought to estimate PrEP initiation and discontinuation rates and characterize PrEP discontinuation experiences among a prospective cohort of transgender women.

Methods: Using a sequential, explanatory, mixed-methods design, 1312 transgender women at risk for HIV acquisition were enrolled from March 2018 to August 2020 and followed through July 2022 (median follow-up 24 months; interquartile range 15-36).

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Article Synopsis
  • Female sex workers (FSW) are at a heightened risk for HIV and substance use due to complex social factors, yet the impact of different substance use patterns on HIV treatment outcomes is not well-studied.
  • A study conducted in Durban, South Africa, surveyed 1391 FSW, revealing high rates of substance use (87%) and HIV viremia (62%) while identifying three distinct substance use profiles through latent class analysis.
  • The "Whoonga & Crack Use" profile showed significantly higher HIV viremia compared to just heavy alcohol use, highlighting the need to integrate drug treatment and harm reduction strategies into HIV treatment to enhance health outcomes for marginalized groups.
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Cabotegravir long-acting injectable HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (LA PrEP) is efficacious, with a good safety profile, and was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in December 2021. Understanding variations in potential user preferences for LA PrEP may inform implementation and subsequently improve uptake and community-level effectiveness. HIV-negative, sexually active men who have sex with men (MSM) aged ≥15 years were recruited online for the 2019 American Men's Internet Survey, before LA PrEP approval.

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