UAB AIDS International Training and Research Program

Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The Vanderbilt-UAB AITRP (5 D43 TW001035-10) contributes degree-based, in-country, and short-course research training to build both institutional and individual research capacity overseas. We focus on HIV/AIDS-related biomedical and behavioral research in both prevention and care arenas. Our target nations include Zambia, Pakistan, China, India, and Bangladesh. We have a new developmental relationship with institutions in Mozambique, linked to PEPFAR. Our HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment training is provided within the broader context of the control and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV-associated opportunistic infections, especially tuberculosis. Research projects conducted by our AITRP trainees target populations at-risk of, infected with, and affected by HIV/AIDS. Emphasis areas of past trainees and program faculty mentors include assessing uptake of voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), and early detection screening and treatment of cervical cancer among women accessing HIV care services, and evaluation of program scale-up in resource-limited settings. As the state of the science of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment evolves, our research training projects are naturally shifting towards a coalescence of biomedical and behavioral methods. Primary examples include a project combining an HIV knowledge, attitude, and beliefs (KAB) assessment with testing the prevalence of HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B and C among injection drug users (IDU) in a prison population, HIV risk reduction interventions with adolescents and men who have sex with men (MSM), and integration of low cost, low-tech HPV/cervical cancer screening methods in HIV care settings. [unreadable] The Vanderbilt-UAB AITRP has been an independent AITRP for two grant cycles (1998-2009) and we have had previous experience in 1995-1998 when subcontracted from two separate AITRP grantees (UCLA and the University of Miami) for Asian and Caribbean AITRP training. Sixty-four trainees have received graduate degrees through our AITRP program through mid-2008 and over 2,000 have participated in our in-country training workshops. In evaluating the Vanderbilt program, our ?return rate? for long-term US-based trainees has been extraordinarily high, reflecting the successes of our rigorous in-country selection processes. Vanderbilt and UAB?s proven excellence in HIV/AIDS/STD/TB research provides many opportunities for trainees with a host of suitable mentors. [unreadable] Notwithstanding successes to date, the emphasis for our new award is to increase utilization of methodologically rigorous MPH and PhD epidemiology degrees at Vanderbilt and to increase utilization of a distance learning MSc degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Graduate degree programs from the UAB School of Public Health will be available for a special sub-set of trainees seeking a Doctorate (DrPH) or MPH education in public health, but not in epidemiology. Our focus will continue to be on expanding and enhancing our in-country training efforts with special attention to our own graduates who may not yet be independent investigators. We believe that the sustainability of this type of training is improved if south-south relationships can be enhanced especially since training models may be more suitable and costs are far lower. The training program that we will migrate to our international training partners is multidisciplinary and includes a number of interdisciplinary topics: research design, epidemiology, health behavior, biostatistics, health policy, clinical trial regulatory mechanisms, research ethics, data management, field management, clinical management, outreach and retention, quality assurance in clinical and laboratory matters, and key principles in observational, treatment and prevention research.[unreadable] Vanderbilt University and its UAB partner remain ideal universities for this initiative: (1) our mentors have proven track records in global HIV/AIDS research; (2) our training initiatives will build efficiently on Vanderbilt or UAB-linked activities and institutions, including the Institute for Global Health, directed by Dr. Vermund; and (3) we have a rigorous evaluation system that continually revises and improves our training efforts with trainee feedback and use of objective assessments. We hope that the innovative features of our renewal will address unmet needs in international AIDS training that must be designed not merely to train international investigators, but to return these scientists home to build institutional research capacity in HIV/AIDS/STI/TB.[unreadable]