Amanda is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Dana’s Watnick’s lab. She is also an Early-Stage Investigator within the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY-Mount Sinai Center for AIDS Research (ERCM-CFAR). Her work supports Dr. Watnick’s portfolio of implementation research on HIV prevention strategies, including the use of long-acting injectable HIV antiretroviral medications (LAI), PrEP, and PEP, with a particular interest in HIV prevention among adolescents and young adults (AYA). Additionally, she supports the Qualitative and Mixed Methods Core of the Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) through providing qualitative interviewer training and consultation on qualitative methods and pedagogy.

Amanda is currently supporting Planning Long-Acting iNjectable implementation for Status-neutral care (PLANS), which is a study focused on patient and provider experiences with LAI with a network of FQHCs in the Bronx, NYC. LAI could potentially revolutionize both HIV treatment and prevention through alleviating daily medication burdens. LAIs may be particularly beneficial for populations facing structural and social barriers to health, including those who are unstably housed, rely on public benefits, or experience stigma or discrimination. However, despite its promise, recent US data show limited implementation of LAI for HIV treatment or prevention, largely due to systematic barriers on both the patient and the provider end. Through this study, we aim to identify gaps, needs, and assets to generate evidence to inform broader scale-up of LAI for treatment and prevention through a locally-developed, systematic protocol for status-neutral LAI implementation. Additionally, this study will be leveraging human-center design techniques, including journey mapping and service blueprinting, and translating this industry practice into academic research.

She is also involved in the mixed-methods analysis of PrEP access & SRH services among CUNY students on the Bronx campuses (Bronx Community College, Hostos Community College, and Lehman College). This work, aptly titled “College PrEP,” built on the promising CUNY Comprehensive Access to Resources for Essential Services (CARES) infrastructure of peer navigators and on the strong tradition of peer involvement in HIV treatment and prevention programs, including health education, case finding, community outreach, navigation to medical appointments, and treatment adherence. This work considered how to involve peers as a developing health workforce within the university setting for HIV prevention, due to their shared characteristics (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity) and experiences (e.g., navigating higher education and complex healthcare systems as a Black/Latine resident of the Bronx). The aim of this study is to assess student need for and acceptability of expanding CARES for PrEP access and SRH service linkages on Bronx campuses, with attention to which implementation strategies may best facilitate students’ awareness, interest, and use.