Person-Centered HIV Research Team (PeCHIVReT)

A research group of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

About PeCHIVReT

The Person-Centered HIV Research Team (PeCHIVReT) is a multidisciplinary research group established in 2023 within the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The group conducts research aimed at improving HIV prevention, treatment, health outcomes, and quality of life, with particular attention to the needs, experiences, and priorities of people living with or affected by HIV.

PeCHIVReT brings together researchers, pharmacists, clinicians, public-health professionals, and research trainees to address questions spanning HIV prevention, pharmacotherapy, comorbidities, health economics and outcomes research, health systems and policy, stigma, equity, and person-centered care. Its work combines rigorous scientific methods with community-informed perspectives so that research findings are relevant to clinical practice, health-system decision-making, and the populations they are intended to serve.

The group also provides a structured platform for research mentorship and capacity development, enabling early-career researchers and interns to contribute to protocol development, data collection and analysis, scientific writing, conference dissemination, and other stages of the research process under the supervision of PeCHIVReT’s scientific leadership.

Institutional Position and Governance

PeCHIVReT is situated within the academic structure of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka through the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management. Departmental oversight is exercised through the Head of Department, while PeCHIVReT’s research programme is directed through its internal scientific leadership and supported by research-coordination and administrative teams.

Vision

A world in which every person living with or affected by HIV has access to the knowledge, care, treatment, and support needed to live a healthy and fulfilling life, with reduced stigma, improved health outcomes, and greater equity.

Mission

To conduct rigorous, inclusive, and community-informed HIV research; develop emerging researchers; generate evidence that strengthens prevention and treatment; and translate research into improved health outcomes, policy, service delivery, and quality of life for people living with or affected by HIV.

Research Areas

HIV Prevention and Sexual Health

Research on biomedical, behavioral, and service-delivery approaches to HIV and STI prevention, including PrEP, PEP, emerging prevention technologies, prevention preferences, access, and sexual and reproductive health.

Pharmacotherapy and Treatment Optimization

Evaluation of treatment strategies, medication use, adherence, safety, effectiveness, and approaches that optimize HIV pharmacotherapy around individual needs and real-world care delivery.

HIV Comorbidities and Integrated Care

Research on the interaction between HIV and chronic or co-occurring conditions, including mental-health disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and other conditions that affect treatment outcomes and quality of life.

Health Systems, Policy, Health Economics and Outcomes Research

Assessment of how policy, financing, service-delivery models, healthcare access, economic considerations, and health-system factors shape HIV prevention, treatment, and outcomes.

Person-Centered Outcomes, Equity, and Stigma

Investigation of outcomes that matter to patients and communities, including quality of life, mental health, social well-being, stigma, discrimination, access barriers, and inequities affecting underserved populations.

Research Approach and Principles

PeCHIVReT’s work is grounded in collaboration, methodological rigor, community engagement, interdisciplinary research, and a commitment to equity. Depending on the research question, the group uses observational studies, evidence synthesis, qualitative and mixed-methods research, economic and outcomes evaluation, implementation-focused methods, and advanced data analysis.

Across its programmes, PeCHIVReT emphasizes six person-centered principles:

• Holistic Care: Research that considers physical, emotional, social, and treatment-related needs rather than HIV in isolation.
• Community Engagement: Meaningful involvement of people and communities affected by HIV so that research questions and outputs remain relevant and responsive.
• Stigma Reduction: Research that identifies, measures, and addresses stigma and discrimination as barriers to prevention, treatment, and quality of life.
• Empowerment and Education: Generation and communication of evidence that equips individuals and communities to make informed decisions about prevention, treatment, and care.
• Tailored Interventions: Development and evaluation of strategies that reflect the needs of specific populations, settings, cultures, and health-system contexts.
• Person-Centered Outcomes: Prioritization of outcomes with direct meaning for patients and communities, including quality of life, mental health, treatment experience, and social well-being.

Research Programmes and Selected Studies

PeCHIVReT organizes its work through interconnected research programmes that address prevention, treatment, comorbidities, health systems, and the lived experience of people affected by HIV.

1. HIV and STI Prevention in Resource-Limited Settings

This programme examines how innovative HIV and STI prevention strategies can be made acceptable, affordable, accessible, and implementable in settings where health-system resources may be constrained. The programme considers community awareness, behavioral factors, biomedical prevention, pharmacy-based delivery, economic outcomes, and service-delivery capacity.

• Uptake and willingness to pay for pre-exposure prophylaxis among vulnerable and at-risk populations in Nigeria.
• Benefit-risk considerations for routine Doxy-PEP use in poorly regulated settings.
• Community pharmacists’ involvement in PrEP roll-out and expansion of prevention access.
• Economic outcomes and affordability of HIV prophylaxis measures in Nigeria.
• Acceptability, preferences, and willingness to pay for emerging HIV prevention technologies.

2. HIV Treatment, Comorbidities and Person-Centered Outcomes

This programme investigates the clinical, psychological, and social outcomes of HIV treatment and the management of co-occurring conditions. It emphasizes integrated models of care that address HIV alongside chronic diseases, mental health, treatment experience, and quality of life.

• Mental-health status and coping among ART-experienced people living with HIV.
• Outcomes of managing people living with HIV and chronic comorbid conditions.
• HIV-related quality of life and patient-reported outcomes.
• Evidence synthesis on HIV treatment and management outcomes.
• Models for integrating HIV, mental-health, and other chronic-care services.

3. HIV, Equity, Stigma and Health Systems

This programme examines structural and social factors that influence HIV prevention and treatment, with particular attention to stigma, discrimination, access to services, health-system organization, policy, and underserved or underrepresented populations.

• Stigmatizing and discriminatory practices affecting people living with HIV.
• Health-system and policy factors influencing access to HIV prevention and treatment.
• Equity in the delivery and uptake of prevention and treatment services.
• Person-centered and community-informed service-delivery models.
• Implementation barriers and opportunities in resource-constrained settings.

Leadership and Team

Scientific and strategic leadership of PeCHIVReT is provided by the Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator. Together, these two senior scientific leadership roles guide the group’s research direction, scientific standards, project development, mentorship, dissemination, and external scientific engagement. The research-coordination and administrative teams support implementation and operations, while research members and interns contribute across the group’s programmes.

AbdulMuminu Isah, BPharm, MPharm, PharmD, PhD, FPCPharm (Infect. Dis.)

Principal Investigator

Dr. AbdulMuminu Isah is a clinical pharmacist, researcher, and academic in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His research spans person-centered HIV care, pharmacotherapy, pharmacoeconomics, health economics and outcomes research, and treatment outcomes. He has more than a decade of experience in HIV response across hospital and academic settings, has published extensively, and has presented research at national and international scientific meetings. As Principal Investigator, he provides overall scientific and strategic leadership for PeCHIVReT, guides the group’s research priorities and scientific standards, oversees its research programme, mentors researchers and trainees, and represents the group within the University and the wider scientific community.

UNN Profile: https://staffprofile.unn.edu.ng/profile/3146

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Abdulmuminu-Isah

Gabriel Ezenri, B.Pharm, CSCA

Co-Principal Investigator

Gabriel Ezenri is a pharmacist and health-outcomes researcher whose work includes HIV prevention, person-centered care, health economics and outcomes research, implementation-focused research, and health policy. As Co-Principal Investigator, he serves as one of PeCHIVReT’s two senior scientific leaders and shares responsibility for the strategic direction and development of the group’s research programme. Working with the Principal Investigator, he co-develops research priorities, initiates and co-leads study concepts and protocols, contributes to scientific and methodological oversight, coordinates research writing and dissemination, and helps guide projects from development through presentation and publication. He also supervises members of the research-coordination team and research trainees, supports the development of collaborations and partnerships, and represents PeCHIVReT in scientific and community settings. His PeCHIVReT-affiliated work has been presented at international meetings including INTEREST, the International Workshop on Women and HIV, the IAS Conference on HIV Science, and other HIV and infectious-disease forums.

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gabriel-Ezenri

Ezinwanne Jane Ugochukwu, B.Pharm, MPharm

Research Program Manager

Ezinwanne Jane Ugochukwu is a pharmacist and researcher with interests in HIV care, mental health, patient-centered outcomes, and health services research. She contributes to the development and implementation of PeCHIVReT studies and has participated in research addressing the experiences and outcomes of people living with HIV.

As Research Program Manager, she oversees the coordination and operational management of PeCHIVReT’s research portfolio. She works closely with the Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator to translate research priorities into coordinated project activities, supervises research coordination functions, monitors study timelines and deliverables, supports protocol implementation and research documentation, and helps coordinate research members and interns across the group’s programmes.

UNN Profile: https://staffprofile.unn.edu.ng/profile/6717

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ugochukwu-Ezinwanne

Chukwuemeka Nwachuya, B.Pharm

Research Coordinator

Chukwuemeka Nwachuya is a dedicated pharmacist, is fervently driving advancements in healthcare through his research endeavors, with a particular focus on HIV and cancer. His academic journey, distinguished by excellence, has garnered him recognition as a United Nations Academic Impact Millennium Fellow and led to his role as the Research Coordinator of the Person Centred HIV Research Team (PeCHIVReT).

Specializing in HIV and cancer research, Chukwuemeka’s pursuit aims to unveil innovative solutions for cancer treatment while offering crucial support to individuals living with HIV. His approach is grounded in analytical prowess and scientific rigor, underscored by a collaborative spirit that thrives on diverse perspectives and a passion for simplifying complex scientific concepts

The Research Coordinator leads the day-to-day coordination of PeCHIVReT studies, including study implementation, data-collection activities, participant engagement, project timelines, research documentation, and coordination between scientific leadership, research members, trainees, and field activities.

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chukwuemeka-Nwachuya

Jennifer Onyehalu, B.Pharm

Assistant Research Coordinator

The Assistant Research Coordinator supports the execution and coordination of studies across the group’s portfolio, including data collection and management, participant follow-up, research documentation, project logistics, and support for research dissemination and trainee activities.

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jennifer-Onyehalu

Charles Idabor, B.Pharm

Administrative Director

The Administrative Director oversees operational and administrative functions that support PeCHIVReT’s research programme, including logistics, internal processes, resource coordination, and administrative support for research and dissemination activities.

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Charles-Idabor

Amauche Pearl Ngige, B.Pharm

Administrative Secretary

The Administrative Secretary supports records management, correspondence, scheduling, documentation, and administrative coordination across the group’s research, training, and external-engagement activities.

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amauche-Ngige

Research Members

Research members contribute across PeCHIVReT projects through protocol development, literature review, data collection and analysis, scientific writing, conference abstract preparation, manuscript development, research dissemination, and community engagement.

Research Interns

Research interns receive supervised, practical research training while contributing to ongoing projects. Training may include literature review, study design, research ethics, data collection and management, analysis, scientific writing, abstract preparation, presentations, and community-facing research activities.

Selected Research Achievements and International Engagement

PeCHIVReT disseminates its research through peer-reviewed publication, scientific conferences, workshops, and global HIV forums. Its researchers and trainees have delivered oral, poster, and guided-poster presentations; contributed abstracts to international conference proceedings; organized scientific and community sessions; and participated in research-capacity development programmes.

AIDS 2026, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

PeCHIVReT hosted a Global Village session titled “Play to prevent: Gamified HIV Prevention learning led by youth and communities” and also disseminated research which includes an oral abstract session on Mental health in HIV treatment and prevention amongst ten other poster presentations

Keystone Symposia 2026, Hannover, Germany

PeCHIVReT disseminated research which includes a poster titled “The Economics of the Road Less Traveled: A Comparative Pharmacoeconomic Analysis of Alternative Antiviral Drug Development Pathways from Molecular Discovery to Therapeutic Access”

ICASA 2025, Accra, Ghana

PeCHIVReT recorded 33 abstracts accepted for presentation, including one mini-oral presentation, 29 poster presentations, and three abstracts published in the official Book of Abstracts.

INTEREST 2025, Windhoek, Namibia

PeCHIVReT recorded numerous abstracts at Africa’s largest conference on HIV/ADIS, STIs and Health systems strengthening, which included oral presentations from both interns and members of the team

13th IAS Conference on HIV Science, Kigali, Rwanda, 2025

PeCHIVReT research included a presentation on person-centric models for integrating HIV and mental-health care for people who inject drugs, authored by Co-Principal Investigator Gabriel Ezenri, alongside additional team research and trainee participation

International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) , Bogota, Colombia, 2025

Team contributions included research under the theme “Expanding Self-Care to reduce inequities”

15th International Workshop on Women and HIV, Barcelona, Spain, 2025

Team contributions included a guided poster tour presentation, a poster presentation, and six abstracts featured in the official Book of Abstracts.

AIDS 2024, Munich, Germany

PeCHIVReT hosted a Global Village session titled ‘Doxy-PEP in Resource-Limited Settings: The Standpoint’ and also disseminated research addressing the intersection of mental health and HIV risk.

International West Africa Symposium and Workshops on Infectious Diseases, Freetown, Sierra Leone, 2024

Five PeCHIVReT abstracts were accepted for the symposium’s Book of Abstracts, a team member placed third in the best abstract presentation, and PeCHIVReT leadership and members participated in scientific training and collaboration activities involving the University of Sierra Leone, UCSF, and the Quantitative Biosciences Institute.

INTEREST 2024, Cotonou, Benin

PeCHIVReT presented multiple research outputs across HIV prevention, mental health, comorbidities, pharmacy-based prevention, and person-centered HIV care.

Research Training and Capacity Development

PeCHIVReT integrates research training into its scientific programme. Research members and interns are mentored through practical participation in study development, research ethics, literature review, data collection and management, analysis, manuscript and abstract preparation, scientific presentation, and conference dissemination. The group’s leadership and research-coordination team provide supervision across these activities, with selected trainees also representing PeCHIVReT at international scientific meetings.

This approach is intended to strengthen the pipeline of early-career researchers with experience in person-centered HIV research, scientific communication, collaborative research, and evidence generation relevant to African health systems.

Collaboration and Scientific Partnerships

PeCHIVReT’s research model emphasizes collaboration across academic institutions, healthcare settings, community organizations, policymakers, and scientific networks. The group welcomes collaborations that strengthen HIV prevention and treatment research, health outcomes and economic evaluation, implementation research, data analysis, research training, and the translation of evidence into policy and practice.

PeCHIVReT researchers have also participated in scientific programmes and workshops involving international academic and research institutions, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange, methodological training, and future collaborative research.

Selected Publications and Research Outputs

Selected outputs illustrate the breadth of PeCHIVReT’s work across HIV prevention, treatment outcomes, pharmacoeconomics, mental health, comorbidities, and person-centered care. The list below may be updated periodically as additional peer-reviewed publications and conference outputs become available.

• AbdulMuminu Isah, Chibueze Anosike, Ezinwanne Jane Ugochukwu,Gabriel Ezenri,Maxwell Ogochukwu Adibe, Chukwuemeka Nworu,Chinwe Victoria Ukwe, Obinna Onwujekwe. The Economics of the Road Less Traveled: A Comparative Pharmacoeconomic Analysis of Alternative Antiviral Drug Development Pathways from Molecular Discovery to Therapeutic Access. Presented at Keystone Symposia 2026, Hannover, Germany
• Mustapha Muhammed Abubakar, Christabel Ogechukwu Okoye, Ruth Jeminiwa, Ifeanyi Kanayo Ifeorah, Lotanna Ezeja, Yusuf Dauran, Sahabi Musa, Silas Usen Joel, Abdurrahman Murtala Bello, Amauche Pearl Ngige, Gabriel Ezenri, Abdulmuminu Isah, Ifunanya Ikhile, Blessing Onyinye Ukoha-Kalu.Impact of Dolutegravir-based regimens on patient satisfaction and quality of life among people living with HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Infect Dis 26, 1487 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-13559-1
• Isah, A., Ezenri, G., Obi, O., et al. (2025). The impact of an educational intervention on undergraduate students’ knowledge, acceptability, and willingness to pay for dapivirine vaginal ring in Nigeria’s first indigenous university: a single-arm, non-randomized study. Discover Social Science and Health, 5, Article 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-025-00153-0
• Isah, A., Igboeli, N. U., Adibe, M. O., Ukwe, C. V., Anosike, C., Amorha, K. C., & Umar, L. W. (2024). Cost-effectiveness of antiretroviral regimens used in a post-exposure prophylaxis programme at PEPFAR-APIN clinics in a developing country: a retrospective pharmacoeconomic analysis. HIV & AIDS Review, 23(1), 15-20.
• Isah, A., Ugochukwu, E., Amoke, C., Nwachuya, C., Aluh, D., Ezenri, G., Onyehalu, J., Idabor, C., Okafor, U., & Ukwe, C. (2024). Ten years on antiretroviral therapy: a cross-sectional assessment of depression prevalence and coping strategies among treatment-experienced persons living with HIV in a Nigerian teaching hospital. Presented at INTEREST 2024, Cotonou, Benin.
• Ezenri, G., Onwuali, U. V., Okibe, N. A., Onyehalu, J., Idabor, C., Nwachuya, C., & Isah, A. (2024). Awareness, knowledge, and willingness to recommend Doxy-PEP as a preferred post-exposure prophylaxis strategy by community pharmacists in Abuja, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study. Presented at INTEREST 2024, Cotonou, Benin.
• Nwachuya, C., Isah, A., Ezenri, G., Okafor, U., Onyehalu, J., et al. (2024). Living with HIV and breast cancer co-morbidity: a systematic review of the efficacy and safety of chemotherapeutic approaches among women in low- and middle-income countries. Presented at INTEREST 2024, Cotonou, Benin.
• Onyehalu, J., Isah, A., Nwachuya, C., Ezenri, G., Ugochukwu, E., Idabor, C., et al. (2024). Community pharmacists’ knowledge, acceptability, and willingness to pay for long-acting cabotegravir, dapivirine vaginal ring, and oral PrEP in Enugu State, Nigeria. Conference research output, INTEREST 2024.

For additional publications and conference outputs, visit: pechivret.org

Research Impact and University Global Engagement

As a research group of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, PeCHIVReT contributes to the University of Nigeria’s research, training, and international scholarly engagement through its scientific activities. Research developed through the group has resulted in peer-reviewed publications, conference abstracts, oral and poster presentations, scientific sessions, and collaborative activities involving researchers and trainees affiliated with the University of Nigeria.

Through participation in major international scientific meetings and research programmes, PeCHIVReT researchers have extended the visibility of University of Nigeria-affiliated scholarship across global HIV, infectious-disease, health-outcomes, and public-health research communities. The group’s participation at conferences including the International AIDS Conference, IAS Conference on HIV Science, INTEREST, ICASA, the International Workshop on Women and HIV, and other scientific forums has provided platforms for research originating from or involving the University of Nigeria to reach international scientific audiences.

PeCHIVReT also supports the University’s research-development environment by providing students, graduates, and early-career researchers with structured opportunities to participate in study development, data analysis, scientific writing, publication, and conference dissemination. Through this integration of evidence generation, mentorship, and international scientific engagement, the group contributes to the University of Nigeria’s broader mission of advancing research, developing research capacity, and extending the reach of its scholarship.

Contact

Person-Centered HIV Research Team (PeCHIVReT)

Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria 410001

Institutional email: pechivret@unn.edu.ng

General enquiries: info@pechivret.org

Phone: +234 805 999 3533

Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Website: https://pechivret.org

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/person-centered-hiv-research-team

YouTube: youtube.com/@PeCHIVReT