The Sexual Health and HIV All East Research (SHARE) Collaborative is investigating the inequalities that lead to poor sexual health and HIV and potential solutions.
Our vision is a world where everyone – no matter who you are or where you live – can enjoy excellent sexual health, where new HIV infections are eliminated and in which people with HIV live long and live well.
Established in the heart of east London’s diverse community, the SHARE Collaborative is embedded within one of the largest NHS Sexual Health and HIV services and a multidisciplinary university of international standing.
SHARE brings together the expertise of Barts Health NHS Trust, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry and Queen Mary University of London.
In partnership with our local community and in collaboration with the wider health and care economy, SHARE aims to deliver high-quality research that drives health equity and ensures no one is left behind.
HIV was a universally fatal infection in the early 1980s but with advances in treatment it has been transformed into a potentially manageable long-term condition.
For people living with HIV who are diagnosed early and who have lifelong access to effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), life expectancy is now similar to that of the general population.
Early diagnosis of HIV remains crucial not only for best clinical outcomes but also for the wider public and global health. These include to meet the Global AIDS Strategy target to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 and to achieve London’s goal of being the first city in the world to achieve zero new HIV infections, zero preventable deaths and zero stigma within the same timeframe.
Much of the burden of the HIV epidemic falls on marginalised and minoritised communities who face multiple health inequalities. The COVID-19 pandemic has further compounded these inequalities.
Furthermore , the stigma associated with HIV continues to prevent people from getting tested, diagnosed, and treated.
Women and people from minoritised backgrounds are more likely to be diagnosed late. For people who remain undiagnosed and untreated, health outcomes will be poor, and HIV may be transmitted to other people.
Barts Health NHS Trust is the regional hub for HIV for Northeast London, with a multidisciplinary clinical service that delivers care to around 6,000 people living with HIV.
There are particular challenges in the racially diverse and socio-economically deprived East End communities that are served by Barts Health. These include:
Some of the highest rates of HIV infection as well as some of the worst HIV outcomes in the UK are found in the boroughs of Waltham Forest, Newham, and Tower Hamlets.
The disparities in clinical outcomes are strongly related to late diagnosis of HIV, weak engagement with healthcare and the influences of other coexisting health conditions (co-morbidities).
Extend the scope of our existing research to include novel therapeutics (new long-acting HIV drugs) and basic science research alongside data on other coexisting clinical conditions.
Reduce variation in health outcomes and health inequalities through the SHARE research programme – this includes working closely with people who use the clinical services at Whipps Cross Hospital and Newham Hospital where variation in HIV outcomes is particularly marked.
Develop health interventions that are co-produced with the wider community (through a community advisory board) and tailored for the specific needs of local people who are living with and affected by HIV.
Read our Research Themes