HIV/AIDS Prevention Practitioner Institute

Sociometrics Corporation, Los Altos CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will investigate the feasibility and utility of establishing the Sociometrics HIV/AIDS Prevention Practitioner Institute (HAPPI). The Institute will train HIV/AIDS prevention practitioners on how to apply social science research-based program development, implementation, and evaluation skills to their prevention efforts. Possible course topics include: conducting a community needs and assets assessment; developing a program model; enhancing cultural competence; assessing outcome evaluation readiness; conducting process and outcome evaluations; collecting, interpreting, and presenting data; and the relevance and importance of such factors to securing organizational funding as well as enhancing program sustainability. Recognizing the diversity of individual learning styles and the varied facilities and funding available to HIV/AIDS prevention practitioners, the Institute will be offered in in-person and distance learning formats. The latter will incorporate the latest advances in educational technology whenever appropriate. The content and format of HAPPI will be informed by needs assessment and usability research to be conducted in Phase I with practitioners who collectively work with diverse ethnic populations, especially populations that have been disproportionately impacted by the AIDS epidemic (African-Americans and Latinos). A prototype course will be developed in Phase I to establish the project's feasibility. Phase I will also include a pilot assessment of whether skills taught in the prototype course are used by participants in their work sites. By collaborating with the National Minority AIDS Council, the premier national organization dedicated to developing leadership within communities of color, we will insure a wide range of relevant input to the development and assessment of our product and will maximize eventual dissemination of our product among our target population. Overall, the Institute will foster the implementation of culturally competent HIV/AIDS prevention programs as well as the on-going scientific evaluation of such programs.