Our Work

Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health

Helping Faith-Based Organizations Address HIV Prevention and Testing with Their Congregations

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MEE was hired by Professor Gina M. Wingood, SCD, MPH formerly of Emory University’s Behavioral Sciences and Health Education Department to develop a series of videos that supported Emory’s implementation of its evidence-based HIV intervention, SISTA (Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS). SISTA is aimed at educating and influencing young (ages 18-34), sexually-active, unmarried African-American women about sexual health.

MEE created two train-the-trainer videos in support of a faith-based program, called P4 for Women. It promotes incorporating proven HIV interventions into everyday sexual health practices. P4 for Women has been adapted for use in the mega-churches of Atlanta. Emory researchers assessed and analyzed SISTA’s effect on women’s HIV-associated sexual risk behaviors, with the eventual goal of enhancing “religious social capital” in the Black church.

MEE spearheaded the production process (planning, pre-production, production and post-production services) for the documentary-style training videos that were shot on-site in Atlanta over several days. MEE worked closely with Dr. Wingood and her team at Emory to develop the video treatments, scripts, story boards and interview questions, and to finalize edits and enhancements to the training videos. The videos help potential program facilitators understand how to implement the core elements of the intervention. More than 50 churches in Atlanta received the MEE-produced training videos.