SAEMF/RAMS Resident Research Grant - $5,000

"Measuring Emergency Physician Attitudes and Adoption of Syphilis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing"

New diagnoses of HIV and syphilis are rising in LA County 1,3,5 and disproportionately impact marginalized populations. The Emergency Department (ED) is uniquely positioned to identify new cases of HIV and syphilis and to initiate treatment and link people to care, especially for people who are not engaged in regular healthcare services. LA County’s strategic plan to end the HIV epidemic prioritizes HIV testing in EDs. 11 In 2021, 3.1% of new HIV diagnoses in LA County were made at Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center, but currently, the UCLA Department of Emergency Medicine does not routinely screen for HIV or syphilis, even in cases where gonorrhea and chlamydia testing are ordered. Time, cost, and availability of counseling and follow up have been identified as emergency physician concerns to performing ED testing for HIV.13,14,16. This study will expand upon a pilot program to implement ED rapid HIV testing and novel point-of-care (POC) syphilis test at UCLA, and seeks to evaluate emergency physician attitudes, measure adoption, and identify factors associated with increased ED physician adoption of targeted rapid HIV and POC syphilis testing in an urban, academic LA County ED.

Recipient(s)

  • Hannah Edelson, MD, MPH

    Hannah Edelson, MD, MPH

    The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles

    "Measuring Emergency Physician Attitudes and Adoption of Syphilis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing"

    Hannah “Claire” Edelson, MD, MPH, is a third-year emergency medicine resident physician at the University of California, Los Angeles. She earned a medical degree and a master’s in public health in global environmental health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Her interests include simulation in medical education, emergency department-led initiatives to improve equitable, high-quality care for socially vulnerable patients, and strengthening global health systems. Outside of work, Claire enjoys hiking, skiing, cycling, swimming, and gardening.