Black sexually minoritized men (BSMM) and transgender women of Color (TWoC) face a health disparity-driven HIV epidemic. In the US, it is estimated that 1 in 2 Black SMM are estimated to be diagnosed with HIV by age 49 and 62% of Black transgender women are living with HIV.

This symposium will examine the multilevel context of the HIV epidemic among these marginalized and historically oppressed groups through two interdisciplinary collaborations: the Neighborhoods and Networks (N2) cohort study and the Trying to Understand Relationships, Networks and Neighborhoods among Transgender women of color (TURNNT) cohort study. The N2 study enrolled 412 Black SMM living in Chicago, Il, and the TURNNT study enrolled 300 TWoC living in New York City, NY. Participants provided sociodemographic information, completed a network inventory of their confidants and their sexual partners, and wore a GPS for 2 weeks.

Presenter 1, a mental health expert, will provide a summary of both the N2 and TURNNT studies and describe health disparities, with a focus on HIV-related health disparities, that Black SMM and TWoC face. Presenter 2, a social network analyst, will describe the social and sexual networks of this group and delve into how social norms influence behavior and associations of information dissemination, using a longitudinal lens. Presenter 3, a spatial epidemiologist, will focus on the spatial patterns of Black SMM and TWoC, describing mobility patterns. Presenter 4, a health equity interventionist, will summarize the intervention implications of the synthesized multilevel findings from earlier presentations. They will use a social work-approach rooted in health equity, and also discuss implementation science implications focusing on the importance of community-developed solutions. This interdisciplinary panel will discuss their diverse perspectives to posit opportunities to advance health equity research and practice.

Panel members wil discuss interventions which 1) address health disparities and structural barriers to care; 2) facilitate supportive social networks and increase healthy social norms surrounding sexual behaviors with enhanced vulnerability to HIV using network-level intervention approaches such as opinion leaders, segmentation, induction, or alteration, through an intersectionality framework, 3) incorporating activity spaces and mobility in the form of geofencing interventions or targeting high traffic communities spaces both physical and digital.