HIV prevention program app will cater to physical and emotional needs of transgender women

Development of a new mobile app that helps prevent HIV among transgender women and keeps them connected with supportive peers anytime, anywhere is the focus of a grant recently awarded by the National Institutes of Health to dfusion in partnership with Portland State University.

Called Transwomen Connected, this HIV prevention program app will use the power of mobile devices and social networks to cater to the physical, mental and emotional needs of transgender women.

This project will conduct research to learn about the sexual health needs and health promotion preferences of transgender women. Based on their findings, the project team will build a mobile app with HIV prevention tools and resources tailored specifically with their needs in mind.

During the past two decades, the HIV epidemic has severely and disproportionately impacted transgender women in the U.S. Analysis of 2013 national HIV testing data found that transgender people have the highest HIV incidence of any risk group, and that many HIV-infected transgender women are not aware of their HIV status. In addition, there are no transgender-specific, evidence-based health programs that address the unique needs of transgender women.