Social and Behavioral Sciences Core

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PROJECT SUMMARY – Social and Behavioral Sciences Core The Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Core is the primary resource for university-wide scientific consultation on the design and conduct of interdisciplinary social and behavioral studies related to HIV. The mission of the Core supports NIH Priority areas for HIV/AIDS research, including reducing the incidence of HIV infection, developing new therapies to optimize engagement and retention, and addressing HIV-associated comorbidities, coinfections, and complications. In the most recent funding cycle, the Core served 71 NIH-funded research projects from 36 Duke investigators, with steady growth on both of these metrics during each year of the funding cycle. In the last 3 years, 72% (n=21) of grants that were peer reviewed by the SBS Core were funded. The Core provided services related to preparing for grant submissions, research implementation, networking, community collaboration, and mentorship of new investigators. The SBS Core proposes to capitalize on its successes in the last five years by continuing to support investigators to develop their diverse independent research portfolios, and improving the quality and breadth of SBS research at Duke to address the global and regional HIV epidemics. This will include a specific focus on supporting early-stage investigators, those new to HIV research, and investigators from historically underrepresented groups. The SBS Core will continue to collaborate with other CFAR Cores, the CFAR scientific working groups (SWGs), and the broader community to expand focus on the three NIH Priority areas. The SBS Core has four Specific Aims: 1) Provide expertise in the social and behavioral sciences in order to advance research across the HIV/AIDS care cascade and prevention continuum. 2) Enhance the scientific rigor and potential impact of social and behavioral HIV/AIDS research by providing consultations on research methods and intervention approaches. 3) Build the individual and collective capacity of SBS Core users at Duke University by attracting and supporting early stage investigators and investigators new to HIV, providing mentorship and training, and facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations both within Duke and with other CFARs. 4) Expand the reach and impact of SBS studies by linking SBS Core users to appropriate community partners and assisting in the implementation and dissemination of findings to stakeholder and scientific communities. Through these aims, the Core will continue to provide scientifically sound, individualized services to a large number of investigators, sharing expertise in research, and maintaining high success rates of NIH funding for Core users. The Core's efforts will add value and provide economy of scale to existing NIH-funded HIV research at Duke, and will support research efforts to advance science and practice across the continuum of HIV prevention and care.