Assessing how relationships between MSM influence HIV prevention strategies

描述（由申请人提供）：本指导科学家奖申请旨在使实习生，现为博士后的Kelika Konda博士成为国际艾滋病预防研究领域的独立研究者。本文设计的研究培训计划考虑了Konda博士目前的教育和经验，并寻求增加具体的统计、伦理和学科相关的教育机会，以及确定她与拟议的多学科指导团队的关系，以便在奖励期间为她提供建议和指导。专业的多学科指导团队将为Konda博士的培训计划和拟议研究的执行提供宝贵的指导。拟议的研究将跨越五年，以便包括拟议的必要培训和研究经验。培训计划包括以课堂为基础的教育和指导小组成员的指导阅读，以建立与拟议研究相关领域的关键知识，以及Konda博士作为国际艾滋病毒预防领域的独立研究人员的职业道路。鉴于拉丁美洲男男性行为者（MSM）和美国拉丁裔男男性行为者（MSM）的艾滋病毒负担，该研究计划解决了一个对公共卫生至关重要的问题。该计划包括收集关于男男性行为者之间性关系的混合方法数据，以及了解和接受各种艾滋病毒预防战略，包括使用艾滋病毒治疗作为预防的新战略（目标1和2）。Konda博士将利用目标1和目标2期间收集的信息，在秘鲁设计和实施针对男男性行为者的艾滋病毒预防干预试点，包括小组会议和夫妇自愿咨询和检测。试点干预措施的目标是确定其可行性、可接受性和对其效果的估计。该试点将成为未来R01申请的基础，以测试秘鲁男男性行为者艾滋病毒预防干预措施的有效性。拟议研究的目标与国家精神卫生研究所的使命密切一致，该研究所调查预防艾滋病毒/性传播感染的行为和社区方法。通过与秘鲁卡耶塔诺埃雷迪亚大学的密切合作，这项研究将迅速传播，并及时有效地为今后的干预措施提供信息。拟议的培训和研究源于Konda博士和她经验丰富的指导团队过去的工作，将有助于她成为一名独立研究人员的职业道路。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This mentored scientist award application has been designed to enable the trainee, Dr. Kelika Konda, a current post-doctoral fellow to become an independent investigator in the field of international HIV prevention research. The research training program designed herein takes into account Dr. Konda's current education and experience and seeks to add specific statistical, ethical, and subject related educational opportunities as well as formalizing her relationship with the proposed multi-disciplinary mentoring team to provide advice and guidance to her during the award period. The expert, multi-disciplinary mentoring team will provide Dr. Konda with invaluable guidance for her training plan and in the execution of the proposed research. The proposed research will span five years in order to include the necessary training and research experiences proposed. The training plan includes both classroom based education and directed readings with members of the mentoring team to build critical knowledge of areas related to the proposed research and to Dr. Konda's career path as an independent researcher in the area of international HIV prevention. The research plan addresses an issue of importance to public health given the HIV burden among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Latin America and Latino MSM in the United States. The plan includes mixed methods data collection on sexual relationships between MSM and the knowledge and acceptance of various HIV prevention strategies including newer strategies such as using HIV treatment as prevention (Aims 1 and 2). Dr. Konda will use the information gathered during Aims 1 and 2 to design and implement a pilot HIV prevention intervention with MSM in Peru including small group sessions and couples voluntary counseling and testing. The goal of the pilot intervention will be to establish its feasibility, acceptability, and an estimateof its effect. The pilot will be the basis for a future R01 application to test the efficacy of this HIV prevention intervention with MSM in Peru. The goals of the proposed study are closely aligned with the mission of the National Institute of Mental Health, which investigates behavioral and community-based methods of HIV/STI prevention. Through close collaboration with the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, this research will be rapidly disseminated and inform future interventions in a timely and effective manner. The proposed training and research stem from the past work of Dr. Konda and that of her experienced mentoring team and will contribute to her career path toward becoming an independent researcher.