Women and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Infectious Diseases, Chronic Diseases, and Disease Prevention".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2025 | Viewed by 664
Special Issue Editor
2. The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Interests: community-driven solutions; critical health equity; black women's sexual and reproductive health; implementation science for black lives; structural evaluation and transformation; social and environmental justice
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Despite the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as a highly effective biomedical intervention for preventing HIV, women globally continue to experience significant barriers to access and uptake. In 2023, women and girls accounted for approximately 44% of these new infections, indicating the ongoing, disproportionate impact of HIV on women, particularly in regions like sub-Saharan Africa. Research shows that gender power dynamics, intersectionality, and socio-structural factors, such as stigma, poverty, and lack of healthcare access, compound the challenges women face in accessing and effectively using PrEP.
This Special Issue seeks submissions that examine the multi-level determinants of PrEP use among women and girls. We invite submissions that explore how gendered power dynamics, intersectionality, racialized experiences, coloniality, culture, and social norms influence HIV prevention efforts. Moreover, we welcome studies focusing on adolescent girls and young women, as they are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection, often due to biological, social, and structural vulnerabilities that intersect during this critical life stage. Contributions addressing US and non-US contexts are encouraged, as the issue aims to highlight diverse experiences and solutions across different regions and populations.
We are particularly interested in manuscripts that explore innovative interventions and programs designed to increase PrEP uptake among women, implementation science studies, and studies employing diverse methodological approaches, and analyses that unpack the influence of policies, healthcare systems, and community dynamics on women's health outcomes.
We hope this Special Issue will further our collective understanding of women's HIV prevention needs and provide insights for developing equitable, sustainable, and community-centered solutions. We look forward to your valuable contributions, as they will help shape the future of PrEP for women globally.
Dr. Whitney C. Irie
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- HIV prevention
- women and PrEP
- intersectionality
- gender power dynamics
- adolescent girls and young women
- healthcare access
- stigma and discrimination
- structural inequalities
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