Rutgers School of Social Work Professor Edward J. Alessi Receives NIH Grant to Highlight the Health Needs of Sexual Minority Migrant Men

Rutgers School of Social Work professor Edward J. Alessi and Gabriel Robles, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, received a $431,750 grant (total award) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities for their project, “A Mixed-Methods Study of the Social Ecological and Integration Factors Associated with HIV Prevention Behaviors Among Latino/x Sexual Minority Migrant Men in the U.S.”

The study aims to shed light on the comprehensive health needs of cisgender sexual minority Latino men who are migrants. Drs. Alessi and Robles, who are Multiple Principal Investigators on the grant, will focus their study on those who have been in the U.S. for five years or less, seeking to understand how structural barriers, such as housing, employment, financial challenges, and healthcare access, along with social integration factors like language proficiency and social support, impact their uptake of various HIV prevention approaches and other health and mental health outcomes.

Dr. Alessi, a longtime researcher conducting community-based research to understand how stress and trauma impact health and sexual health outcomes among LGBTQ+ individuals, said, “This knowledge is vital for social work practice and programming as it informs culturally sensitive and effective interventions that promote health equity and improve the well-being of marginalized communities. The study findings will also be used to advance science and address entrenched HIV disparities faced by Latino/x sexual minority migrants, bringing us closer to ending the HIV epidemic.”

The work involves setting up a community advisory board that will partner with Drs. Alessi and Robles to help design and carry out the study. The research team will use a combination of methods, beginning with an online survey where participants from across the country share their experiences, followed by interviews to gain deeper insights into the health needs of migrant men.

“We are committed to conducting this study to promote health equity,” said Dr. Robles, whose research agenda involves conducting HIV prevention research with Latino/x sexual minority men. He added: “We hope our findings will draw increased attention to the HIV prevention needs of sexual minority Latino men who are migrants. This is especially relevant at a time when the expertise of social workers is critical for identifying and addressing the multiple needs of migrant populations. Furthermore, addressing the needs of migrants who are sexual minorities requires durable solutions tailored to overcome the structural barriers they face due to stigma and discrimination.”

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute On Minority Health And Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R21MD019227. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.