This research study, a two-year project funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), had the goal of understanding more about the epidemiology and current needs of three subgroups of people who bear a very high burden of hepatitis C disease in San Francisco: young people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men and inject drugs, and transgender women. This study was led by Dr. Meghan Morris, with partners at the University of Bristol in the UK.
Dr. Facente was asked to be a co-investigator on this study, and managed the synthesis of the data and calculations of “cascades of care” for each subgroup. She also helped coordinate the collaboration with the Bristol team, which led the transmission modeling aim of the study. As part of this process, Dr. Facente planned and facilitated a pair of “consensus meetings” for community members and other stakeholders in San Francisco to hear preliminary findings from the study and provide insights to help with interpretation and fine-tuning.