Training in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment Research in Botswana

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PROJECT ABSTRACT The focus for this proposal is research training for people from Botswana in relation to the various uses of ART for prevention and treatment in the modern era of the HIV epidemic. Recent advancements in coverage strategies and antiretroviral combinations within the Botswana national ART program offer a unique environment for use of modern HIV treatment, safety, and prevention research for the developing world, with a host of research opportunities for training researchers in Botswana, to match current research activities of the faculty mentors and key partners at the Botswana site. The in-country institution for this proposal is the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and our LMIC partner for training is the Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership (BHP), a limited liability nonprofit corporation (LLC) with the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Botswana. BHP is the largest HIV/AIDS research organization in Botswana, and one of the largest in Africa. The long-term goals and objectives of this training program are to train research leaders for BHP, the University of Botswana, and the MOH. Botswana currently has one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV in the world (22%), but has also had the highest rate of antiretroviral drug treatment (ART) for patients with HIV (about 90%) in Africa. The government of Botswana currently operates the most advanced HIV treatment program in Africa, using a universal test-and-treat strategy. The training faculty at Harvard and BHP will focus on how “modern” ART impacts treatment outcomes, safety, and prevention research. HIV-related courses, seminars, and workshops are available for trainees. We have requested funds for 2 predoctoral and 3 postdoctoral positions each year. We estimate that we will train about 18 trainees over 5 years, allowing for multiple years for each PhD candidate and some postdoctoral fellows, and assuming several short-term trainees could fill a single annual training slot. Stipends will be based on current degrees and research experience; thus an MD on an MS or PhD program would be eligible for a postdoctoral-level stipend. Each trainee will have a principal advisor and a faculty advisory committee. Selection of trainees is based on previous academic performance, references, experience, and assurance that the candidates will return to participate in HIV research in Botswana. The quality of the program will be monitored by a Training Advisory Committee composed of experts from the US and from developing countries. The success of the training program will be judged by the relative increase in senior research positions at BHP, UB, and MOH that are individuals who were trained by this program after the second and fourth years. Success will also be judged by the implementation of successful prevention research programs that involve trainees, numbers of trainee publications in high-impact journals, and number of staff positions filled by former trainees at the BHP and the Ministry of Health.