ResearchProjects

Young people who inject drugs are at extremely high risk for HCV infection through the use of contaminated injection equipment. To date, no behavioral intervention has been sufficiently potent to produce significant reductions in HCV incidence among PWID. To address this need, the project developed Staying Safe (Ssafe), an innovative, strengths-based, socio-behavioral HCV prevention intervention. This study assessed the effectiveness of the Ssafe intervention in reducing both injection-related HCV and HIV risk behavior and HCV incidence among young adults (ages 18-29) who inject opioids (heroin and/or prescription opioids).

Abstract on NIH RePORTER

Guarino H, Frank D, Quinn K, Kim D, Gile K, Ruggles K, Friedman SR, Mateu-Gelabert P (2023).
Syndemic factors associated with non-fatal overdose among young opioid users in New York City
Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1195657. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1195657. PMCID: PMC10332320.

Mateu-Gelabert P, Sabounchi NS, Guarino H, Ciervo C, Joseph K, Eckhardt BJ, Fong C, Kapadia SN, Huang TTK (2022).
Hepatitis C virus risk among young people who inject drugs
Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 835836. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.835836. PMCID: PMC9372473.

Kapadia SN, Katzman C, Fong C, Eckhardt BJ, Guarino H, Mateu-Gelabert P (2021).
Hepatitis C testing and treatment uptake among young people who use opioids in New York City: A cross-sectional study
Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 28 (2), 326-333. doi: 10.1111/jvh.13437. PMCID: PMC8207521.

Mateu-Gelabert P, Guarino H, Zibbell JE, Teubl J, Fong C, Goodbody E, Edlin B, Salvati C, Friedman SR (2020).
Prescription opioid injection among young people who inject drugs in New York City: A mixed-methods description and associations with hepatitis C virus infection and overdose
Harm Reduction Journal, 17, 22. doi: 10.1186/s12954-020-00367-2. PMCID: PMC7106794.