TARGETED HIV RISK REDUCTION IN DRUG TREATMENT DROPOUTS

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The Arizona Comprehensive Ethnographic Research Training program for HIV, violence and drug abuse research will provide postdoctoral Fellows with structured, high quality training opportunities in ethnographic and other qualitative research. The program will support 2 postdoctoral Fellows in the first year. It will support 4 postdoctoral Fellows in subsequent years. A special emphasis will be placed on recruiting minority and female ACERT Fellows. This minority emphasis is vital in a research area where the cultural differences among groups (for drug, violence, and HIV risk behaviors) is a critical factor in understanding drug abuse and HIV transmission, and in the development of culturally appropriate intervention strategies for HIV infection, violence and drug abuse. Dr. Robert T. Trotter, II will direct the project, Dr. Joan Koss will be Co-Director, and the program will have a core faculty of 8 experienced ethnographic researchers with high levels of success in conducting research in culturally diverse populations. The formal ACERT training program will consist of course work and directed research experiences in the areas of ethnographic theory and methods, qualitative and ethnographic approaches to HIV, violence and drug abuse research, research ethics, new intervention and prevention modalities, and computer based qualitative data analysis processes. Formal course work will be supplemented by directed research experiences with NIH researchers engaged in ethnographic and other qualitative research. The students will be required to design, conduct, analyze and report on a field based ethnography on drug abuse and HIV risks, conducted as part of the training program. The ACERT Fellows will engage in a capstone experience in the final year of the training, synthesizing their theory, methods, practical experience and analytical skills, and producing at least one publishable paper and on independent research grant submission as a result.