School researchers receive funding to conduct HIV research

School researchers Dr Catrin Evans and Dr Holly Blake have received Innovation Funding worth £94,324 from Public Health England. The funding has been received for a community led innovation project that builds upon their previous research on mobile phones and HIV screening. 

The project is a workplace HIV prevention and well being programme which targets male migrant workers in distribution centres such as warehouses and factories along the M1. Ninety applications were made to receive funding. The project was one of the lucky seven applications which were successful due to its innovative example of community engagement and community-led knowledge transfer.

There are currently an estimated 103,700 people living with the virus in the UK, of whom around a quarter are unaware they have HIV and are at risk of unknowingly passing on the virus to others. However targeted and innovative local initiatives can help to reduce the risk of people acquiring or passing on HIV.

Dr. Holly Blake and Dr. Catrin Evans, senior researchers from The School of Health Sciences, said: “We are thrilled to be involved in this exciting initiative which combines established and new technologies in promoting health amongst groups who are traditionally very hard to reach. Lessons learned from this project have the potential to influence HIV prevention on a far wider level.”