The Collaborative HIV Prevention Research in Minority Communities Program

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Investigator: Torsten Neilands, PhD
Sponsor: NIH National Institute of Mental Health

Location(s): United States

Description

The CRMC addresses the urgent needs for culturally-competent HIV/AIDS prevention research in racial and ethnic minority communities by offering research education and mentoring for HIV/AIDS-prevention scientists who have cultural expertise and are initiating innovative programs of research. The aims of this 5-year project are to: 1) assist six visiting scientists per year in: (a) translating innovative concepts into a feasible program of research and (b) conducting qualitative and quantitative research that serves as preliminary studies for larger research projects; 2) provide education, mentoring, and technical assistance to these visiting scientists in the writing, submission, revision, and resubmission of federal and other research grants, and 3) provide ongoing mentoring and technical assistance to scientists who conduct social and behavioral HIV/AIDS-prevention research in racial and ethnic minority communities. Aims 1(a), 1(b), and 2 will be met through a six-week summer intensive program of seminars and one-on-one meetings held at the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies as well as provision of funds to conduct a pilot research study. In the summer of 2009, four scientists from universities and research institutions will be in their second or third years of the program. These scientists will analyze and write up the data from studies they have been conducting as part of the program, as well as write grant applications. Two new scientists will be added in summers 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 to maintain a steady state of six scientists per program year. These scientists will design pilot studies, which they will conduct during the following academic year. The guidance provided by these collaborative research experiences and opportunities for networking will result in a substantial increase in high quality HIV prevention research by scientists studying minority populations in the U.S.