I Don't Want the Tray to Tip: Experiences of Peer Evaluators in a Multisite HIV Retention in Care Study

Passion, commitment, and burnout: Experiences of Black gay men working in HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention in Atlanta, GA

Background

HIV-focused organizations, care providers and research programs often hire Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) in their efforts to reach highly affected communities. Due to their unique social position within and outside of organizations, Black GBMSM are ideally situated to contribute to HIV care and prevention programming targeting their own communities, but may also be at risk for stress and burnout in these settings. Despite this critical role for Black GBMSM in efforts to end the epidemic, little is known about subjective experiences of Black GBMSM who work in the HIV field.

Methods

We conducted qualitative interviews with 19 Black GBMSM who were identified as key informants. All were working in community-based organizations, clinical or academic settings in the area of HIV prevention and treatment in Atlanta, Georgia. We used a thematic analysis approach to identify salient themes with respect to the workplace experiences of Black GBMSM as well as the role of their identities in their work in the field.

Results

Participants discussed: (1) Shared experiences and growth; (2) Work-related stressors; (3) Worker burnout; and (4) Commitment to continue working in the HIV field. On the whole, Black GBMSM derived meaning from their work, and found their intersectional identities to be a strength in fulfilling job duties. At the same time, Black GBMSM described multiple stresses faced as they balanced their personal and professional connections to this work, while also dealing with their own challenges related to discrimination, socioeconomic status, and health. Participants repeatedly described sacrificing their own well-being for the greater good of their communities, highlighting contributors to burnout within and outside of the workplace.

Conclusions

Our participants derived meaning from their work in the HIV field and were affirmed by professional interactions with other Black GBMSM. At the same time, they also faced work-related and other psychosocial stressors that predisposed them to frustration and burnout. To promote workplace equity and wellness for Black GBMSM, we share recommendations for HIV-focused organizations that employ and serve men in this demographic.

Advice from local/site evaluators: How to manage "up" within a large-scale initiative

BUilding Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD), an initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), provides grants to undergraduate institutions to implement and study innovative approaches to engaging and retaining students from diverse backgrounds in biomedical research. The NIH awarded BUILD grants to 10 higher education institutions in multiple states, including funding for local evaluations. This chapter presents findings from an online survey and interviews with 15 local evaluators from nine of the 10 BUILD sites. Participants shared their perspectives on the role of professional local evaluators in national evaluations, ideal national-local multisite evaluation partnerships, and the ways that funders can support these partnerships to maximize impact. They argued for customized technical assistance and other support for local evaluations; the importance of including local results in national evaluation findings; the value of local evaluators' subject-matter expertise; and the potential for funders to act as central organizing entities in national-local evaluation partnerships.