Dean Bachman delivers keynote at Penn Center for AIDS Research symposium

With the goal of optimizing implementation and improving outcomes for people with HIV, a team led by Dean Sara S. Bachman of Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) is evaluating a novel approach to HIV medical case management (MCM) being implemented by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH).

“We know that care coordination and case management really help,” said Dr. Bachman, who works on the project in partnership with the PDPH’s Division of HIV Health, led by Dr. Kathleen Brady.  “But we need to be thinking about how to constantly adapt this core service so that we can make sure that it is maximally effective in engaging and retaining people in care.”

Bachman’s remarks were part of her keynote speech at the 2024 Penn Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Scientific Symposium. An expert in health policy and financing for vulnerable populations, Bachman is the project director of a team of researchers from CFAR who are assessing the city’s MCM model.

MCM is a range of client centered services that link clients with health care, psychosocial, and other services. These activities are a core  strategy to promote patient engagement in care, according to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, the largest federal program designed specifically for people with HIV.

Sharing the project’s rationale in her keynote speech, Bachman emphasized that people with HIV who are engaged in care are more likely to achieve viral suppression, which effectively eliminates risk of transmission. As part of the project, the team conducted interviews with clients and organized focus groups with MCM service providers in Philadelphia to identify barriers and examples of effective MCM implementation.

Speaking at the symposium, Bachman presented the key findings, including valuable insights at the macro, mezzo, and clinical levels and implementation improvements recommended by medical case managers to advance health equity.

Dean Bachman’s address took place during the first session, “Moving the Needle Through Implementation,” of the annual symposium, titled “Ending the HIV Epidemic: Innovation and Implementation.” Focused on the path to an HIV vaccine and getting prevention and treatment to the community, the symposium brought 11 speakers, 75 poster presentations, and over 195 registrants to the Smilow Center for Translational Research.

“Continuing to work in this area is going to give us more insights into how we can advance these systems of care to reach our ultimate goal of viral suppression,” Bachman said in her conclusion. “I really believe that what is going on here in Philadelphia through this partnership between the City, CFAR, and other partners creates fertile ground for creating knowledge that can be widely applied across the country.”

Bachman’s collaborators on the project include Dr. Dennis Culhane and Dr. Malitta Engstrom of SP2 and partners from CFAR, PDPH, Lincoln University, and the University of Delaware.

Dean Bachman’s social policy and practice expertise focuses on health care financing and organization innovation, especially with respect to Medicaid and alternative payment strategies. She has over twenty years’ experience with health policy research and program evaluation in the areas of health care finance, health reform, social work, health equity, and state health policy for individuals with disabilities or complex health and social conditions, including children and youth with special health care needs.

Penn CFAR is one of 19 NIH-funded CFARs and includes HIV and AIDS investigators at the University of Pennsylvania, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and the Wistar Institute. The organization’s mission is to support and advance research in all areas of HIV/AIDS on the Penn/CHOP/Wistar campus and in the Philadelphia region.