December 2, 2009. Multimedia Connect, the web-based HIV intervention project co-developed by CCNMTL, was the focus of yesterday's Columbia News article, Professor Teams With New Media Center to Better Inform Couples About HIV.

Multimedia Connect is based on the proven couples-level intervention called Connect that was designed for heterosexual couples at risk for HIV/STIs and developed by the Social Intervention Group at the Columbia School of Social Work. Principal investigator Susan Witte and CCNMTL created the multimedia version of the intervention, complete with interactive games, videos, and other training materials, and are currently testing the intervention in a five-year study supported with funding from the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH). The study will test the multimedia version of the intervention against the paper version at 80 community-based organizations to measure levels of adoption of the intervention in its multimedia form.

Both Witte and CCNMTL are featured in the Columbia News article, which explains Multimedia Connect and the implications of the current study: "If the study, now in its third year, finds that community-based organizations are more likely to use the Internet-based version of the program, it may become a prototype for the prevention and treatment of other health and human services-related issues." Read the full article here.