Researchers from Florida State University’s College of Nursing are partnering with colleagues in Vietnam to help teach about sexual health and HIV testing—especially among gay and bisexual Vietnamese men. The researchers see this as a chance to address both HIV and the need for more cross-continent relationships among healthcare experts.
Part of the program includes inviting participants to group sessions where they can find support from their peers as they talk about their sexual orientation, the responses they’ve received from their families and their sexual health. It’s funded through a grant from the National Institutes of Health and is part of a two-year intervention study aimed at reducing stigma for people who are HIV positive and for members of Vietnam’s gay and bisexual communities.
FSU researchers say the project is an opportunity to practice problem solving and knowledge sharing across oceans. They think that will be needed more frequently—especially as the pandemic continues and other factors, such as climate change, threaten the health of people across the globe.