The You’re Empowered for Treatment Initiation (YETI) Study is making big strides—and it’s thanks to the incredible dedication, creativity, and teamwork of the UCSF research team behind it. Funded by the NIH/NIDA (R01DA053325, PI: Dr. Meghan Morris), YETI is a randomized controlled trial designed to support people who inject drugs (PWID) in starting hepatitis C (HCV) treatment. The study tests a unique partner-navigation intervention that amplifies the relational support from a participant’s primary injecting partner to help overcome barriers to care. Read more about the study protocol.
In less than 6 months, the team has more than doubled enrollment—an incredible accomplishment made possible through strategic problem-solving, deep community relationships, and trust-building with local organizations. And retention? An impressive 88%, reflecting the thoughtful follow-up and connection our team has maintained with participants.
Clinical Research Coordinators Danyion Reagan and Gina Sakoda have led day-to-day recruitment and follow-up with both skill and heart. They’ve identified new outreach locations, strengthened relationships with harm reduction programs, and brought community members into the research process. Tiffany Nguyen, our data analyst, consistently goes above and beyond—supporting data collection, generating real-time reports to tailor recruitment strategies, and keeping morale high. Maia Scarpetta, ETS doctoral candidate, has led the expansion of our community-academic partnership (CAP). Her leadership also resulted in a co-authored presentation with CAP members about the partnership’s formation, which was shared at the International Network on Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) conference. Claire McDonnell, ETS doctoral student, and Michelle Ibarri, our stellar intern, round out this collaborative team, ensuring high-quality data collection and seamless study implementation.
The YETI study is a testament to what’s possible when rigorous research is paired with real community partnership.
Article submitted by Meghan Morris, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor, Epidemiology & Biostatistics