In 1994, the Japanese Foundation for AIDS Prevention (JFAP) and the University of California at San Francisco's Center for AIDS Prevention Studies(CAPS) initiated a collaborative research project. The emphasis of the project has been on exploring the ways in which Japan and the United States can benefit from each other's experience in AIDS prevention. Three general questions have guided our research: (a) In what areas do the experiences of Japan and the United States overlap sufficiently for them to pursue similar prevention strategies? (b) Can their different experiences, successes, and failures be mutually educational and beneficial? In which specific ways? (c) How can the United States and Japan work together to develop more effective prevention programs for other nations, particularly those in the Asian-Pacific region?
The collaboration has been onging, and brings a cohort of nurses to UCSF annually.