BEE — Developing New Interdisciplinary Approaches to Prevent HIV among Vulnerable Youth around the Globe

The Exploratory Center in Behavioral Economic Epidemiology (BEE) is dedicated to integrating perspectives from economics, epidemiology and behavioral science to develop new approaches to understanding and addressing the global problems of youth risk behavior and vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancies. BEE is supported by NIH Grant # P20RR20817.

Led by Drs. Paul Gertler and Nancy Padian, this effort represents an innovative collaboration between the Haas School of Business, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, the Center for Health Research, and Global Health Sciences at the Berkeley and San Francisco campuses of the University of California. Funded by the National Institutes of Health Roadmap Initiative, the BEE Exploratory Center is facilitating a three-year process of structured integration of participating disciplines and approaches.

Our specific objectives include:

• Developing a theoretical model to better understand youth risk behavior and vulnerability to HIV, STI, and unintended pregnancy, with the ultimate goal of developing effective interventions.

• Generating interdisciplinary research tools and analytic methods to be piloted among existing youth cohorts in developing country settings in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

• Applying the BEE model to improve the effectiveness of programs designed to control HIV/AIDS in the developing world by providing policy makers with clear scientific results that help shape successful policies.

• Exploring plans for expanding and formalizing the BEE approach through training, analysis of required infrastructure and supports, and planning for future research.