RESPOND Carolinas Community Advisory Group

Most Recent Meeting – February 28

Thanks to everyone who joined our last meeting on February 28 at The Drop! We can’t wait to see you next time!

Photo from the meeting of the RESPOND project Community Advisory Board on February 28, 2024

Values & Agreements

Group Values

We value, respect, support, and stand with the communities that we serve in this space and beyond, including Black communities, transgender communities, and queer communities.

Community Agreements

In addition to its statement of values, the RESPOND study’s Community Advisory Group has created the following Community Agreements to guide the group’s work and collaborations.

Respect confidentiality
Respect everyone’s opinions
Let your voice be heard
Don’t take it personally
Teamwork makes the dream work
If we have a negative situation, we will call it out and call that person in respectfully, then, we will talk as a CAG when it comes to voting someone out in the event of unresolved issues

Role

The Community Advisory Group (CAG) collaborates on the research by providing general advice and input, as well as helping to guide adaptation and implementation of the Enhanced Social Network Strategy (eSNS) intervention using data gathered during the study’s first phase paired with their collective personal and professional experience. Meet the current members of the group below.

This group includes HIV activists, leaders, and community members in the Charlotte region, initially convened through the Getting to Zero initiative’s working group along with our research team’s established network of community partners. Its role includes reviewing preliminary data, consent documents, and recruitment procedures; advising the study team on safety and confidentiality measures; and guiding locally appropriate adaptation of the enhanced Social Network Strategy to the Charlotte area.

The RESPOND Community Advisory Group meets 2-4 times per year, in-person in Charlotte and virtually, from 2023 until the conclusion of the study in 2027.

Leadership

The Community Advisory Group will be led by Alicia Diggs, Manager of the Office of Community Engagement at the UNC Center for AIDS Research. Jesse Elkins, the RESPOND coordinator at UNC Charlotte/APHI, will also support the group.