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IPR Seminar: Dr. Harsha Thirumurthy, Public Health, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Harsha Thirumurthy
October 23, 2018
12:30PM - 1:30PM
038 Townshend Hall

Date Range
Add to Calendar 2018-10-23 12:30:00 2018-10-23 13:30:00 IPR Seminar: Dr. Harsha Thirumurthy, Public Health, University of Pennsylvania Behavioral interventions to increase the effectiveness of biomedical technologies: examples from HIV prevention Despite the widespread availability of interventions that significantly reduce the risk of acquiring communicable and non-communicable diseases, low utilization of such interventions remains a challenge in both low and high-income countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, behavioral factors contribute to both sub-optimal uptake of HIV prevention services and incomplete viral suppression among people living with HIV. This talk presents data from several randomized trials of interventions to promote HIV prevention behaviors such as HIV testing and medical male circumcision in east Africa. We test whether alternative types of financial incentive interventions that leverage insights from behavioral economics lead to increased utilization of HIV prevention services. We also explore the HIV prevention potential of newly available technologies such as HIV self-test kits, which make it easier to learn HIV status, by examining how this affects individuals’ decision making. 038 Townshend Hall Institute for Population Research popcenter@osu.edu America/New_York public
Behavioral interventions to increase the effectiveness of biomedical technologies: examples from HIV prevention
 
Despite the widespread availability of interventions that significantly reduce the risk of acquiring communicable and non-communicable diseases, low utilization of such interventions remains a challenge in both low and high-income countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, behavioral factors contribute to both sub-optimal uptake of HIV prevention services and incomplete viral suppression among people living with HIV. This talk presents data from several randomized trials of interventions to promote HIV prevention behaviors such as HIV testing and medical male circumcision in east Africa. We test whether alternative types of financial incentive interventions that leverage insights from behavioral economics lead to increased utilization of HIV prevention services. We also explore the HIV prevention potential of newly available technologies such as HIV self-test kits, which make it easier to learn HIV status, by examining how this affects individuals’ decision making.