Advancing Breastfeeding Research in HIV Care
STAR’s Family-Focused HIV Care Program continues to contribute to the evolving evidence around breastfeeding among people living with HIV. After presenting the program’s first-year experience at the 2025 Continuum Conference—with findings subsequently published—the FFHCP team examined three years of patient experiences and outcomes under updated breastfeeding guidance. The work brings together Meredith Barish, MSN, CNM, and Drs. Manisha Singh, Rio O’Mary, and Stephan Kohlhoff, with the latest findings prepared for presentation at this year’s IDWeek, the annual meeting convened by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and partner organizations.
Spotlight on Dr. Sabina Hirshfield: Innovation, Equity, and HIV Research
Sabina Hirshfield, PhD, continues to advance STAR’s research at the intersection of HIV prevention, digital health, and health equity. Her recent work includes mobile health interventions to improve HIV outcomes, self-testing and remote monitoring approaches, and research focused on sexual and gender minority populations. Her work reflects STAR’s commitment to developing practical, technology-enabled strategies that can expand access, strengthen engagement in care, and reduce disparities.
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Advancing Ethical HIV Research in Ukraine
In 2026, faculty from STAR’s New York State International Training and Research Program (NYS-ITRP) joined colleagues from other Fogarty-supported programs for a three-day workshop in Lviv, Ukraine. Training focused on HIV and mental health research, implementation science, scientific writing, and responsible conduct of research—while also addressing the profound effects of war and displacement on HIV care, research, and population health.
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MWCCS Renewed for Six More Years
The MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS) has been renewed for another six years, continuing one of the nation’s most important longitudinal studies of HIV and related health conditions. STAR’s participation helps ensure that the experiences of people with and without HIV in Brooklyn continue to contribute to research on aging, cardiovascular and metabolic health, cognition, mental health, women’s health, and other emerging priorities.
New NIH-Funded Phase of SMARTTT
Jessica Yager, MD, MPH, is leading STAR’s participation in a new NIH-funded, multi-site phase of the SMARTTT study with Yale University. Building on earlier SMARTTT research, this new round of funding will further examine smoking cessation among people with HIV, including whether financial rewards added to medication and counseling delivered by clinical pharmacists and other HIV care team members can improve abstinence and support implementation in routine HIV care.
Recent Publications
STAR faculty continue to contribute to a broad body of research addressing HIV across the lifespan and its intersections with aging, cognition, cardiovascular and metabolic health, sexual health, behavioral health, and health care delivery. Recent publications include:
- Building a Better Bridge to HIV Care After Incarceration: STAR team members Marc Liff, LCSW, ACSW; Lamont Bryant, BS, MPS; and Christopher Carpenter, BS published in Behavioral Health News on strengthening HIV care after incarceration through coordinated medical, behavioral health, case management, and peer support.
[Read More] - Tobacco Treatment in HIV Care: STAR Medical Director Jessica Yager, MD, MPH, co-authored findings from an earlier phase of the SMARTTT study examining whether contingency management added to pharmacist-delivered nicotine replacement therapy could improve smoking abstinence among people with HIV.
[Read More] - Menopause and metabolic health in women with HIV: Deborah Gustafson, PhD, MS, and colleagues examined the relationship between menopause and insulin resistance among women with HIV.
- Medication burden among older adults with HIV: Dr. Gustafson and colleagues explored clinical and demographic factors associated with perceived pill burden in older adults with HIV.
- PrEP and bacterial STIs: Tracey Wilson, PhD, and colleagues examined PrEP use and laboratory-confirmed bacterial STI positivity among sexual and gender minority participants in a diverse, multi-city U.S. cohort.
- Digital and self-testing approaches in HIV care: Dr. Hirshfield and collaborators contributed to research on technology-mediated HIV interventions, adherence monitoring, and self-collected testing strategies.
- Cardiovascular and cognitive health: STAR-affiliated investigators continued work examining cardiovascular risk, cognition, and aging among people with and without HIV.
