Social and Behavioral Sciences Core

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Modified Project Summary/Abstract Section PROJECT SUMMARY – Social and Behavioral Sciences Core The purpose of the Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Core is to provide support to Duke investigators who conduct HIV-related SBS research or use SBS research methods in any HIV-related research. In the new cycle, the SBS core will focus its targeted activities in three key areas: implementation science; addressing the broader social context that affects HIV-related health and well-being in the U.S. South; and fostering reciprocal skill-sharing initiatives with U.S. and global partners. The SBS Core will continue to provide essential core support to Duke investigators to enhance the scientific rigor and impact of Duke CFAR-led SBS-related research (Aim 1). Core services are pre-award consultations (e.g., early research planning and grant preparation), peer reviews, post-award consultations (e.g., training, networking, and support in study implementation), and mentoring. Methodology consultations are available to all CFAR investigators, and they include guidance on frameworks and models in social science and implementation science; study design considerations (e.g., mixed/multiple-methods, pilot studies), survey design (e.g., identifying validated measures, new survey development), qualitative research (e.g., sampling, data collection and analytical methods), and community engagement (e.g., methods for community-engaged research). The SBS Core will expand its activities to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration by early and established investigators within the Duke CFAR and across CFARs (Aim 2). Within this aim, the SBS Core will lead a new Inter-CFAR Working Group on the Social Drivers of Health (SDoH), which the Duke SBS Core established in in 2024, and create a new SDoH Research Program for Early-Stage Investigators, to be implemented in partnership with the Developmental Core, the Duke Collaborative Community Council (D3C), and other CFARs. The SBS Core will also facilitate collaborative domestic and global initiatives that encourage bi-directional skill sharing and innovation with existing CFAR research partners in the U.S. and in low- and middle-income countries, specifically in Eastern Africa and Southeast Asia (Aim 3). These efforts aim to advance SBS methodological approaches and promote shared learning across regions, ultimately strengthening the design, delivery, and impact of HIV prevention and care research in the U.S. and globally. The SBS Core is led by a Director and two Associate Directors and facilitated by a Core Coordinator. The SBS Core has established formalized partnerships with technical experts in seven research groups at Duke who will provide in-depth consultation to CFAR investigators conducting SBS-related research. The areas of expertise and services among the SBS Core leaders and research groups include qualitative research, implementation science, survey design, community and policy engagement, and Spanish-language services. Through these aims, the SBS Core will support and strengthen innovative social and behavioral and implementation science HIV-related research conducted by Duke investigators, with the end goal of reducing the health burden of HIV and ending the epidemic.