RIPHI has helped build the scientific evidence based RIPHI partners with dozens of African American faith institutions and leaders to promote HIV awareness, screening, and linkage to care by training clergy and community members and creating access to care. Faith in Action’s primary goal is to reduce the HIV disease burden in African American communities around the country. 

RIPHI has developed and scaled several interventions to promote access to and affordability of healthy foods. RIPHI hosts Food on the Move, a year round mobile produce market that serves vulnerable populations in Rhode Island, particularly low-income and minority seniors. Our research demonstrates that Food on the Move positively impacts healthy eating behaviors by making healthy eating affordable and accessible. 

RIPHI team members are national thought leaders in the field of HIV prevention. Our team has published over 200 articles about HIV prevention, screening, treatment and care. See our extensive archive of articles about HIV and STDs.

HCV is the most common bloodborne infection in the US; millions of Americans are infected but don’t know it. RIPHI has overseen several studies about the importance of widespread HCV screening and the importance of navigators to enhance retention in HCV care, as well as HCV cure. RIPHI also oversaw Rhode Island’s first comprehensive HCV epidemiological profile, which found that approximately 4 to 7% of Rhode Islanders are living with HCV (full publication here). RIPHI also started the RI HCV Action Coalition in 2014.

RIPHI has led several placed based intervention studies (sample publication here), including one of the nation’s largest HIV and HCV screening campaigns.  These programs have informed the 2019 US Plan to End the HIV epidemic. RIPHI is also supporting evaluation of the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Health Equity Zones Initiatives.

RIPHI oversaw a recent study, conducted in partnership with the Rhode Island Health Schools Coalition and American Heart Association, focused on promoting physical and health education in the Rhode Island public schools. This study found that many PE and health education teachers are constrained by insufficient indoor/outdoor spaces and large class sizes, which limits opportunities for high quality education. Furthermore, teachers cited a dearth of PE and Health Education specific professional development in their district, often having to use their own time and resources to seek available opportunities elsewhere. These findings informed Power UP PE, a curriculum designed to enhance PE classes in resource constrained public schools.  See the full curriculum here.