Engage Toronto Seeds

We are looking for enthusiastic, well-connected guys to act as ‘seeds’ for the Engage study!

Engage is a new sexual health research study with gay, bi, and queer men, including trans and 2-spirit men, and other men who have sex with men, of all HIV statuses. By participating in this study you can earn up to $140, and/or be entered into two draws (for a $2,000 travel voucher or a $250 Best Buy gift card). ‘Seeds’ are the study’s first participants who are purposefully selected to help recruit other participants.

Your study visit will take approximately 2-3 hours, and consists of:

Study Overview Discussion (~30 mins)

  • Overview of study procedures
  • Signing of consent forms

Questionnaire (60-90 mins)

  • Confidential, computer-based, self-administered survey at our study office
  • Questions relate to general physical, sexual and mental health in the past 6 months

Clinical Component (~30 mins)

  • Brief HIV/STI counselling
  • HIV testing for HIV-negative guys and HIV blood work (viral load, CD4) for HIV-positive guys
  • Blood tests for Hep B, Hep C, and Syphilis
  • Gonorrhea and Chlamydia testing (throat and rectal swabs, urine sample)

After your study visit, we’ll give you 6 unique recruitment vouchers to pass on to other guys you know who have sex with men (including trans men who have sex with men). For every guy that is successfully referred to the study, we’ll give you an extra $15!

We are a peer-recruited study, so to help us be as diverse as possible in the selection of our initial participants, we would like to ask you a few questions about yourself.

Click here to find out if you are eligible to be a seed participant.