Building Capacity for AIDS research in South Africa

University Of Pretoria, Pretoria

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the proposed project, the UP will partner with Yale University to develop research infrastructure and strengthen the capacity for conducting HIV-related research in South Africa. The application builds upon a developing collaboration between the UP Centre for the Study of AIDS and the Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA). During the five-year funding period, we will initiate a program of collaborative research that will start with three pilot projects that focus on AIDS-related stigma and its effects on limiting the ability of HIV-infected women to choose a safe alternative to breastfeeding, thus risking transmission of HIV to their infants. The capacity building activities will take place both in Pretoria and at Yale. In Pretoria, an Office of AIDS Research will be established in the Medical Research Council Unit for Maternal and Infant Health Care Strategies at UP. There will be development of infrastructure; the initiation of collaborations between medical researchers and behavioral scientists; and training of research fellows. Visiting Yale researchers will give structured workshops and actively contribute to the conduct of the research. Researchers from UP will visit Yale (three times per year) where they will work with a collaborator/mentor and benefit from the extensive educational experiences provided at CIRA and other departments at Yale. The research projects focus on understanding and addressing stigma and increasing the ability of HIV infected women to choose a safe feeding method for their children. The first study will provide a greater understanding of stigmatizing attitudes and how these affect women's behaviors around disclosure and infant feeding. In the second study, we will implement and assess the benefits of two interventions for HIV+ pregnant women -- a counseling and support intervention and an intervention focused on male partners. In study three, we will implement, Pretoria Pasteurization, a unique method of breast milk pasteurization, and will assess and compare outcomes - including HIV transmission -- for different methods of infant feeding. The proposed projects will establish in South Africa a leading AIDS research center that will contribute substantially to preventing HIV infection and decreasing its adverse consequences on women, children and families.