In an innovative collaboration, researchers at the HIV Center are working with the AIDS Institute of the New York State Department of Health to conduct a structural intervention promoting the use of the female condom in agencies throughout the state.
"The collaboration started about eight years ago when we began discussions about our concern that the female condom is a highly underutilized prevention method," said the study's Principal Investigator Theresa Exner, Ph.D. "Our discussion deepened as it became clear that microbicides are some years down the horizon, and that when they do arrive on the scene -- in maybe 5 or 10 years – the first generation is going to be substantially less effective than condoms. In fact, they will probably be recommended for use with a condom."
"The collaboration started about eight years ago when we began discussions about our concern that the female condom is a highly underutilized prevention method," said the study's Principal Investigator Theresa Exner, Ph.D. "Our discussion deepened as it became clear that microbicides are some years down the horizon, and that when they do arrive on the scene -- in maybe 5 or 10 years – the first generation is going to be substantially less effective than condoms. In fact, they will probably be recommended for use with a condom." "The female condom gives us an opportunity to frame a new kind of prevention effort, because it has some major advantages over other methods."
Since barrier methods will clearly continue to be important tools for the prevention of HIV, STIs, and unintended pregnancy for the foreseeable future, HIV Center researchers and AIDS Institute policymakers began to consider how to best promote the female condom -- a method that has been proven highly effective and is widely available yet rarely used. 
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