Ian Holloway, associate professor of social welfare in the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, has received an Avenir Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to advance his research into health interventions for LGBTQ communities.
The five-year, $2 million award will be used to create a machine-learning system that will monitor social media interactions with participants’ consent, then send customized health reminders and other alerts via an app. According to Holloway, his team’s goal is to develop a wide-reaching and cost-effective tool to promote public health.
Holloway leads a UCLA team that is developing a social media tool designed to offer highly personalized health information to prevent substance abuse and HIV infection among gay men. Under a previous grant, the researchers built a library of nearly 12,000 data points made up of text phrases and emojis that correlate with offline health behaviors.
The Avenir Awards, named for the French word for “future,” provide grants to early-stage researchers who propose highly innovative studies, particularly in the field of HIV and addiction.
Holloway also directs the Southern California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Center, which works to develop and maintain efficient, cost-effective, and accessible programs and services to people living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS.