HIV-associated Tuberculosis Training Program (HATTP)

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PROJECT SUMMARY We apply for renewal of the Fogarty HIV-associated Tuberculosis Training Program (HATTP) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in partnership with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) building on the successes of the existing training program and productive research collaborations between these institutions to provide HIV-associated TB (HIV-TB) and HIV-associated COVID-19 training at UCT. The Program addresses the following needs: more clinician scientists/researchers need to be trained to develop the next generation of scientific leaders in HIV-TB and HIV-COVID-19 at UCT; there is an urgent need to accelerate transformation of the demographic composition of researchers at UCT to redress disparities that persist from apartheid; and there are specific training requirements in high-end analytical methods needed to lift UCT’s capacity to the next level. Six focus areas for training have been chosen: 1) Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics training for clinicians entering research; 2) Advanced Epidemiology and Modelling of the HIV-TB Epidemic and Interventions; 3) Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacogenetics and Genetic Epidemiology of HIV and TB drugs; 4) Immunopathogenesis of HIV-TB Co-infection and Disease; 5) HIV-TB Drug Hypersensitivity: Clinical Epidemiology and Molecular/Immune Pathogenesis Research; and 6) the interaction between HIV and COVID-19: Clinical Epidemiology and Immunology Research. We will award 15 fellowships (4 postdoctoral, 9 PhD, and 3 Master’s level), spread across the focus areas, with shared mentorship from the partner institutions. Of these 15 fellowships, 10 will be targeted to emerging black researchers. We will offer the following additional medium-term training opportunities: 3-10 month training periods at US institutions to learn a laboratory or analytical method for 4 fellows; attendance at the JHU Graduate Summer Institute of Epidemiology and Biostatistics for 4 fellows; and web-based epidemiology, biostatistics, and genetic epidemiology courses. Short-term training will include short courses on topics including grant and protocol writing, epidemiology, and biostatistics. We will hold monthly fellows seminars and an Annual Scientific Meeting. Seminars will include fellows’ research updates, Responsible Conduct of Research training, and career coaching topics. A novel aspect of our Program is the annual “Entry into HIV-TB research” symposium for medical students followed by electives and ongoing contact, with the objective of having the most talented and motivated students return to UCT to develop careers in HIV-TB research. The Program is led by Dr. Meintjes (PD/PI) with a Core Administrative Committee and a Steering Committee representing all partner institutions. Oversight will be provided by a Training Advisory Committee (TAC) chaired by Dr. Taryn Young (Stellenbosch University) with three other members (Drs. Aliyu, Beyrer and Mizrahi). An annual structured evaluation process will assess individual development and overall Program outputs, outcomes, and performance, and will involve a written report to and feedback from the TAC, which the PI and committees will use to improve the Program.