Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers.
We’ve got you covered. Our youth helped create this glossary of common research terms and definitions.
Each of our studies has its own requirements for eligibility. Overall, the ATN focuses on adolescent and young adults between the ages of 13-29.
Your health matters. By participating in research, you can make sure your voice and your lived experiences are included as we develop and test methods to improve the health and wellbeing of adolescents and young adults like you. Your input can improve research by broadening the lens through which problems and solutions are viewed—leading to more holistic and relevant findings.
Each ATN study is unique and involves different activities. Here are a few examples of what participation might mean for you:
Each study has its own requirements for participation, and our studies that involve minimal risk may be approved to waive parental consent for youth under the age of 18. Participants ages 18 and older do not need parental consent.
ATN study staff will lead you through the enrollment process, which includes “informed consent,” to make sure you understand what’s involved in participation and whether your parents must agree for you to participate.
Study participants who do not receive the intervention (control arm) are still receiving care that is accepted by medical experts as proper treatment and widely used by healthcare professionals, called the “standard of care.”
Our evidence-based scientific approach typically compares how well our ideas compare to the current standard of care, so we need a direct comparison. Your continued participation in whichever part of the study you are enrolled into is crucial for us to have enough information to determine how effective our tools or medications are.
This will help us make the most effective tools and medications widely available for youth like yourself!
The ATN is comprised of over 40 universities, healthcare providers, and community organizations. We are led by researchers at Florida State University’s Institute on Digital Health and Innovation, the University of Illinois Chicago, and Westat.
ATN recruitment sites, or site consortia, are established collaborations among clinics, universities, community-based organizations, health departments, and other partners across several cities in the United States. These recruitment sites help us successfully enroll participants into our studies while fostering mutually beneficial relationships with communities through fun and varied outreach activities.
Staff members at the recruitment sites are typically the people that participants interact with throughout their time in the study, assisting with enrollment, study intervention delivery, and follow-up assessments.
You are the heart of everything that we do, and the ATN centers youth voices in our research beyond participation in our studies.
The ATN’s young adult Subject Matter Research Consultants are part-time employees at Florida State University who are deeply embedded into all structures in the ATN, including as members of research study teams and Scientific Leadership Groups, where they provide ongoing consultation and services to improve the quality of ATN research, including study development, implementation and effective recruitment strategies, data analysis, and sharing the results of our research back to the community. Subject Matter Research Consultants are young professionals with varied backgrounds and experiences that bring their unique expertise to enhance ATN projects. This approach is revolutionizing how research institutions engage and prioritize youth in their research studies.
Youth representatives from each of the ATN’s site consortia represent their community as members of the ATN’s National Community Advisory Board (NCAB), playing a key role in guiding and informing research in the ATN. The NCAB aims to be a platform that gives voice to the concerns and ideas of young people, supports young people to grow as public health leaders, and provides opportunities for collaboration with researchers, providers, and other stakeholders in HIV research.
The Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV Interventions (ATN) was established in 2001 and is currently in its fifth funding cycle. The ATN has enrolled over 30,000 youth participants into 150+ completed research studies.
The Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV Interventions (ATN) is funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), which are institutes within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Want to receive email alerts about research findings and opportunities to participate in new studies?
We also share our findings and opportunities on social media. Follow us!
Please reach out to us by submitting your question or concern through our form.