PhD student Joyell Arscott was recently received a 2016 American Nurses Foundation Nursing Research Grant for her project entitled "Factors Influencing The Likely Use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for Young African American Men Who Have Sex With Men." Elizabeth "Beth" Merwin is her chair.

HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), is an FDA-approved method for HIV prevention, but African American young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are under-utilizing it as a HIV prevention strategy. This study will use a qualitative design to interview 20 to 30, HIV-negative, 16-24 year old African American YMSM to: 1) identify and understand African American YMSM’s, aged 16-24, cognitive and emotional processes in response to using PrEP to reduce their risk for HIV and 2) identify what factors (sociocultural, individual, experiences in health care, socioeconomic) influence African American YMSM’s likely use of PrEP as a coping strategy for HIV prevention.

The American Nurses Foundation Nursing Research Grants Program was founded almost 60 years ago to encourage the research career development of nurses. These donations support scientific research for advancing the practice of nursing, promoting health and preventing disease.