Dr. Jessica Zemlak, associate professor in the College of Nursing, is a co-investigator on a research project that received a $250,000 grant from the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment. The project, titled “Refining a Community-Based Strategy to Engage Difficult to Reach Populations in PrEP Care,” is meant to stem the tide of new HIV diagnoses in Wisconsin by getting preventative medicine to populations vulnerable to HIV acquisition.
“Reducing the burden of HIV in Wisconsin necessitates making the extra effort to reach vulnerable groups,” Zemlak said. “We know that traditional healthcare settings may be inaccessible to some people due to lack of transportation, geographic location, housing instability or social stigma. This study allows us to get help to those who need it.”
The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment is a statewide health philanthropy established by the Medical College of Wisconsin through a gift from Blue Cross & Blue Shield United of Wisconsin. The organization provides funding to groups pursuing projects related to public and community health improvement, health-focused research and health workforce development.
Zemlak’s grant is part of AHW’s 2026 Momentum Grant program. Forty-three health improvement projects across Wisconsin received grants totaling $10.6 million.
“This investment will give healthcare providers valuable information on how best to protect community health, which will lead to better outcomes for more people across our state,” Zemlak said.
