A Dynamic COVID-19 Community-Engaged Testing Strategy in Alabama (COVID COMET AL)

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PROJECT SUMMARY Overall The mission of the UAB CFAR is to support the conduct of cutting-edge research in basic science, therapeutics, prevention, community engaged research, and clinical manifestations and pathogenesis of HIV and related disorders. Five core facilities provide vital support for the Center's principal thematic areas of its scientific agenda. To optimize our CFAR operation, an intensive strategic planning process has established efficiencies through streamlining its cores from 7 to 5, taking full advantage of existing services provided by other centers on campus, outsourcing under-utilized services, and allowing for investments in new areas (Specific Aims workshops, Transplant Tissue Procurement Facility, and Ending HIV in Alabama SWG). The Center includes 185 members from over 30 divisions and departments within UAB. Over the last 4 years, the UAB CFAR has enabled research leading to FRB / total funding of $21M / $66M. The majority (62%) was newly obtained in this budget period; 57% of these are related to basic science, 18% to population health prevention and treatment research, 22% to behavioral epi and intervention research, and 3% to community engaged research. Since our last renewal, the center has increased the number of young investigators supported by training awards from 7 to 16 (14 women; 5 under-represented minorities, URMs) and invested $1.9M in new-investigator pilot awards yielding $25M in outside funding. Overall, for our ROI in pilot funding is 13:1 in new extramural grants awarded. The Center helped recruit 45 new HIV/AIDS investigators in the last 4 years (17 external, 28 new to HIV research), of whom 21 are women and 5 URMs. Across all cores the CFAR supported 61 unique, NIH-funded projects (FRB) and 404 other NIH-funded projects, of which 309 were HIV-specific resulting in over 1000 HIV publications, and in the garnering of strong Institutional support. Over the next 5 years we will: (1) Continue to enhance the productivity of ongoing research programs by enabling interdisciplinary research through the provision of critical shared resource facilities and administrative and fiscal management support to Center investigators (2) Use robust strategic planning methods to identify new research opportunities and priorities that align with existing CFAR programs and foster new research programs where none are in existence, but where faculty interest is evident; (3) Stimulate the entry of early stage and established faculty into HIV/AIDS research programs through mentoring programs for young investigators and through a robust, peer-reviewed Developmental Grants Program; (4) Provide a central focus for HIV/AIDS research activities at UAB that emphasize effective communication and collaboration among CFAR members with the wider HIV/AIDS research community; and (5) Promote faculty recruitment and program development in areas that reflect the ongoing evolution of HIV/AIDS research in Alabama, the United States, and around the world. The UAB CFAR will foster HIV/AIDS research that has high local, national, and international impact and in so doing will promote the NIH priorities of innovation and effectiveness in AIDS treatment and prevention.