Technology and Engagement: Research Interest Group
Purpose
To expand UNC HIV research on technology and engagement, with a focus on junior investigators and those new to HIV research. We define technology and engagement as research that uses any form of technology (e.g., video, GIF, virtual reality) to engage people at risk for or living with HIV.
Rationale
Technology expands how people living with HIV engage in the social world. This introduces exciting new opportunities for interventions, research, and programs. The concept of technology and engagement moves beyond m-health to think about how technology can enhance meaningful participation. Technological innovations have been used to spur engagement in HIV testing, linkage to care, and viral suppression.
Main Objectives:
- Tech-enhanced lecture series. We host a monthly lecture series on HIV technology and engagement. We will use technology to live broadcast to UNC sites outside of Chapel Hill, tweet and livestream (as appropriate).
- Champion technology and engagement in grant writing. We will assist junior investigators and others interested in developing NIH grant applications focused on HIV m-health, crowdsourcing, and related aspects.
- Technology & Engagement Education. The team organizes short-term workshops and conferences.
Group Directors
Suzanne Day, PhD, MA
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Suzanne Day is a Research Assistant Professor of Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine. Her research program is focused on the social, political, economic, and historical contexts within which health and biomedical research are situated and on understanding health disparities through an intersectional lens. Her publications have explored social and ethical issues in HIV research, theories of care, and addressing inequalities in health research. Most recently Dr. Day has been working on several collaborative, multidisciplinary and international projects, conducting social science research to advance stakeholder-driven approaches to social and ethical issues in research on HIV and other infectious diseases. Three specific topics her work focused on include 1) crowdsourcing stakeholder input on HIV research and other infectious diseases; 2) identifying challenges with and solutions to adolescent inclusion in HIV research; and 3) exploring barriers and facilitators to participation in vaccine trials. Office:
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Joseph D. Tucker, MD, PhD, AM
| Joe Tucker is an Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UNC School of Medicine and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His research focuses on crowdsourcing to improve HIV and other health outcomes. Crowdsourcing has a group of people attempt to solve a problem, then shares solutions with the public. He has a K24 mid-career grant to mentor trainees on global HIV research. His current studies focus on youth-led HIV self-testing in Nigeria, pay-it-forward testing promotion, and decentralized testing.
Office:
130 Mason Farm Road, 2nd floor
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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