Advancing Implementation Research Capacity in Vietnam (ARC)

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ABSTRACT. With enhanced access to antiretroviral therapy, a higher prevalence of risk factors (e.g., tobacco use) for noncommunicable diseases (NCD) and direct effects of HIV infection, the burden of NCD-related morbidity and mortality among PWH is growing in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Vietnam. This increase presents a significant threat to the progress achieved in reducing global mortality attributable to HIV in LMICs. Despite strong evidence for WHO-endorsed interventions that can prevent and effectively treat NCDs, implementation of NCD-related evidence-based interventions (EBI) in HIV care has lagged. There is an opportunity to leverage the substantial investments in HIV health systems in Vietnam to deliver NCD-related EBIs. Achieving this goal will require building capacity to conduct research that can generate actionable data to inform implementation and scale-up of EBIs in the context of HIV care. Implementation Science (IS) provides a set of methods that can accelerate the translation of research into policy and practice to improve population health outcomes. This application builds on well-established relationships between the PIs in at New York University’s School of Global Public Health and Vietnam’s Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH), forged through over a decade of collaboration on NIH-funded implementation research. The “Advancing Implementation Research Capacity in Vietnam” (ARC) training program will establish a sustainable HUPH Implementation Science Program that will offer didactic training and practical research experiences with established HIV/AIDS, NCD and IS investigators to prepare individuals from diverse professional backgrounds to contribute to implementation research teams. Our aims are to: (1) Provide training to 48 graduate students, early career research faculty, policymakers and health care system leaders that equips trainees with implementation research methods skills and knowledge through coursework, mentoring, and experiential learning in global health implementation science. We will also enroll trainees from the University of Health Sciences in Laos to build the foundation for regional IS collaboration. (2) Build a network of multidisciplinary mentors from the global north and south to promote equitable bi-directional learning and collaboration, and implement a culturally-informed mentor training program to optimize mentor and mentee relationships and enhance career advancement for promising investigators and public health professionals committed to reversing the growing burden of NCD-related health disparities among PWH. (3) Evaluate multilevel short-and long-term outcomes and explore factors that can inform effective mentorship and training. The project aims to institutionalize model curriculum for IS training focused on priorities relevant to advancing health outcomes among PWH at a leading institution in Vietnam. Engaging both academia, public health professionals and policymakers in IS training enhances the potential for immediate and future translation of EBIs into policies and practices system wide to reduce the burden of NCDs among PWH.