Karla F Torres

University of California, San Diego, Owen Clinic, Department Member

Other Affiliations:
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Research Interests:
HIV/AIDS, HIV and AIDS: prevention, care, ARV adherence, San Diego Tijuana Border, US Mexico Border, Sexuality And Culture, Transgender Health, and Deportees edit
About:
A bilingual and bicultural public health professional with over 10 years of experience focusing on underserved and most at risk communities affected by HIV/AIDS, TB, and Substance Abuse. Dr. Torres earned her Medical Degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California in Mexicali, B.C. Mexico, is certified as an HIV Specialist by the American Academy of HIV Medicine and has a Masters in the Science of Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner degree. Since 2002, Dr. Tor... moreA bilingual and bicultural public health professional with over 10 years of experience focusing on underserved and most at risk communities affected by HIV/AIDS, TB, and Substance Abuse. Dr. Torres earned her Medical Degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California in Mexicali, B.C. Mexico, is certified as an HIV Specialist by the American Academy of HIV Medicine and has a Masters in the Science of Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner degree.

Since 2002, Dr. Torres has volunteered at Agencia Familiar Binacional (AFABI), a nonprofit organization in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, serving as Medical Director and physician caring for marginalized individuals living with, or affected by HIV/AIDS.edit
Advisors:
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Patient-centered nutrition education and counseling can improve the health of HIV-positive persons. This article describes the development and implementation of a Spanish-language, community clinic—based, individually tailored, and culturally specific nutrition curriculum for HIV-positive Latinos living on the U.S.—Mexico border. Important considerations made in serving this population include low acculturation to U.S. culture, monolingual Spanish speaking, cross-border mobility, and dietary behaviors influenced by access to culturally preferred regional foods, some of which may not be nutritionally optimal. Challenges to curriculum implementation and lessons learned for replication of the curriculum in other clinical settings are discussed.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) in developing countries such as Mexico have received relatively little research attention. In Tijuana, Mexico, a border city experiencing a dynamic HIV epidemic, data on MSM are over a decade old. Our aims were to estimate the prevalence and examine correlates of HIV infection among MSM in this city. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 191 MSM recruited through respondent-driven sampling (RDS) in 2012. Biological males over the age of 18 who resided in Tijuana and reported sex with a male in the past year were included. Participants underwent interviewer-administered surveys and rapid tests for HIV and syphilis with confirmation. A total of 33 MSM tested positive for HIV, yielding an RDS-adjusted estimated 20% prevalence. Of those who tested positive, 89% were previously unaware of their HIV status. An estimated 36% (95% CI: 26.4-46.5) had been tested for HIV in the past year, and 30% (95% CI: 19.0-40.0) were estimated to have ever used methamphet...