Primary Care Update: Gay Men’s Health & Wellness

Primary Care Update: Gay Men’s Health & Wellness is organized by Circuit CE.

Location / Destination: Chicago | Dubai | London | Maldives | Napa Valley | New York | Orlando | Paris | Puerto Vallarta | Rio de Janeiro | Rome | San Francisco | Sydney | Tokyo | Turks and Caicos Islands | Washington, DC

Schedule (Local Time): 7:00 AM - 11:45 AM

Number of Subjects: 16 Workshops

About this Conference:
This concise program equips clinicians to deliver affirming, evidence-based care for gay men. Across four focused hours, sessions cover preventive care and vaccination, HIV/PrEP/PEP and STI management, mental health and substance use within minority stress contexts, and aging-related risks including cancer and cardiometabolic disease. Each 15-minute module emphasizes actionable takeaways for real-world practice.

Key Objectives:

• Apply culturally competent, stigma-aware approaches to preventive, sexual, and mental health care for gay men.
• Optimize HIV prevention and treatment strategies, including PrEP, PEP, U=U, and contemporary STI management.
• Screen for and manage common midlife risks—cardiometabolic disease and cancers—with guidance tailored to gay men.

Conference Outline:
Day 1
A one-day, high-yield update on preventive, sexual, mental, and cardiometabolic health for gay men—built for practical, culturally competent primary care.

Section 1
Foundations: Preventive & Primary Care for Gay Men:
Structured preventive care with vaccination, STI screening, and sexual health counseling tailored to gay men.

7:00 AM—8:00 AM (60 Minutes)

• Implement inclusive histories and risk assessments that guide screening and counseling.
• Prioritize vaccinations (HAV, HBV, HPV, mpox) and routine extragenital STI testing.
• Integrate anal cancer screening considerations and sexual health counseling.

1. Affirming Preventive Care & Risk Assessment:
Building an inclusive visit: sexual history taking, risk stratification, and shared decision-making that reduce stigma and improve outcomes.

7:00 AM (15 Minutes)

• Use inclusive language and frameworks for sexual and social histories.
• Tie risk assessment to concrete screening and counseling plans.
• Address barriers to care (stigma, insurance, confidentiality).

2. Vaccination Priorities: HAV, HBV, HPV, and Mpox:
Who needs what and when: practical vaccine guidance for adult gay men, including catch-up strategies.

7:15 AM (15 Minutes)

• Identify vaccine indications and catch-up schedules.
• Incorporate outbreak-responsive mpox vaccination plans.
• Close gaps with standing orders and reminders.

3. STI Screening Done Right: Extragenital Testing & Intervals:
Efficient, guideline-aligned screening for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV—emphasizing pharyngeal/rectal NAATs.

7:30 AM (15 Minutes)

• Select site-specific tests and appropriate intervals based on risk.
• Implement self-collection workflows to increase uptake.
• Streamline partner services and follow-up.

4. Anal Cancer Prevention & Sexual Health Counseling

When and how to discuss anal cancer risk, screening approaches, and harm-reduction-oriented sexual health counseling.

7:45 AM (15 Minutes)

• Recognize higher-risk groups and symptom prompts.
• Discuss screening options and local referral pathways.
• Normalize conversations around pleasure, safety, and consent.

— Break
8:00 AM (15 minutes)

Section 2
HIV, PrEP/PEP, and Contemporary STI Management:
From on-demand PrEP to U=U in practice—practical updates clinicians can use tomorrow.

8:15 AM—9:15 AM (60 Minutes)

• Match PrEP options to patient preferences and risk patterns.
• Deliver rapid, effective PEP workflows.
• Treat common STIs efficiently while supporting partner management.

5. PrEP in 2025: Daily vs. On-Demand (2-1-1) Strategies:
Choosing and coaching on daily and event-driven PrEP, labs, adherence, and real-world barriers.

8:15 AM (15 Minutes)

• Select PrEP modality based on use patterns and comorbidities.
• Set monitoring schedules and handle side effects.
• Address cost, insurance, and stigma challenges.

6. PEP Quick-Start: Timelines, Regimens, and Follow-Up:
Building a same-day PEP pathway from exposure assessment to first dose and linkage to PrEP.

8:30 AM (15 Minutes)

• Assess exposures and start PEP rapidly within recommended windows.
• Choose first-line regimens and lab follow-up.
• Transition eligible patients to PrEP seamlessly.

7. U=U in Practice: ART Basics & Patient Communication:
Why viral suppression prevents transmission and how to communicate U=U clearly and confidently.

8:45 AM (15 Minutes)

• Explain U=U and reinforce adherence and suppression goals.
• Navigate disclosure, stigma, and relationship dynamics.
• Coordinate with HIV providers for rapid start and retention.

8. Treating Common STIs & Emerging Tools:
First-line treatment pearls for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia; partner services; and practical updates from recent guidance.

9:00 AM (15 Minutes)

• Select guideline-aligned regimens and follow-up testing.
• Facilitate partner notification and expedited therapy where permitted.
• Plan for reinfection prevention and recall systems.

— Break
9:15 AM (15 minutes)

Section 3
Mental Health, Substance Use, and Minority Stress:
Screen, triage, and treat common conditions with a minority-stress lens and harm-reduction strategies.

9:30 AM—10:30 AM (60 Minutes)

• Screen efficiently for depression, anxiety, trauma, and suicidality.
• Address substance use patterns (including chemsex) with harm reduction.
• Support safety, consent, and healthy relationships.

9. Minority Stress: Screening & Brief Interventions:
Practical tools to identify and address the mental health impacts of stigma and discrimination.

9:30 AM (15 Minutes)

• Use validated screeners (PHQ-9, GAD-7, trauma prompts).
• Deliver brief interventions and referrals.
• Create a psychologically safe clinical environment.

10. Substance Use & Chemsex: Harm Reduction in Practice:
Nonjudgmental assessment, safer-use strategies, and linkage to treatment, including contingency management options.

9:45 AM (15 Minutes)

• Assess patterns and risks without stigmatizing language.
• Offer safer-use education and overdose prevention.
• Connect to treatment and community supports.

11. Consent, Coercion, and Intimate Partner Violence:
Brief, trauma-informed approaches to screening and support for IPV and sexual coercion among gay men.

10:00 AM (15 Minutes)

• Use brief IPV screens and respond safely to disclosures.
• Coordinate safety planning and referrals.
• Document sensitively while protecting privacy.

12. Sexual Function, Body Image, and Performance Concerns:
Common presentations (ED, low desire, performance anxiety) and aligned, practical management.

10:15 AM (15 Minutes)

• Differentiate psychogenic vs. organic contributors.
• Offer first-line treatments and referrals.
• Normalize conversations around pleasure and expectations.

— Break
10:30 AM (15 minutes)

Section 4
Midlife & Aging: Cardiometabolic, Cancer, and Lifestyle:
Tailoring midlife prevention and screening with attention to cardiometabolic risk and cancers relevant to gay men.

10:45 AM—11:45 AM (60 Minutes)

• Assess and reduce cardiometabolic risk with realistic plans.
• Apply cancer screening guidance with attention to individual risk.
• Leverage community supports and digital tools for lasting change.

13. Cardiometabolic Health: Practical Risk Reduction:
Hypertension, lipids, weight, sleep, and activity—what moves the needle for midlife gay men.

10:45 AM (15 Minutes)

• Use ASCVD risk plus modifiers to guide therapy.
• Prioritize lifestyle changes that patients keep.
• Coordinate referrals (nutrition, sleep, activity).

14. Cancer Screening Tailored to Gay Men:
Applying prostate, colorectal, skin, and anal cancer considerations with shared decision-making.

11:00 AM (15 Minutes)

• Clarify indications and intervals for common screenings.
• Integrate anal cancer considerations and referrals.
• Navigate controversies with transparent risk-benefit discussions.

15. Lifestyle, Fitness, and Sleep: Sustainable Behavior Change:
Evidence-based micro-changes for activity, nutrition, and sleep that patients actually maintain.

11:15 AM (15 Minutes)

• Set realistic, trackable goals with patients.
• Use brief counseling models (MI, action planning).
• Leverage apps/devices without overwhelming patients.

16. Community, Tech, and Follow-Through:
Using community resources, peer support, and digital tools to sustain health gains and engagement.

11:30 AM (15 Minutes)

• Map local/community resources and referral loops.
• Support peer and partner engagement where appropriate.
• Create recall systems for vaccines, labs, and screening.

— End of Day
Break for the Day
11:45 AM