AIDS International Training and Research Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests support for Weill Cornell Medical College (WMC or Cornell) to continue training Haitian scientists in the performance of biomedical, epidemiological, laboratory, clinical, operational, health services and behavioral research on HIV and related opportunistic infections. The program is based in the Division of International Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Cornell, with an interdisciplinary group of investigators who have extensive collaborations with Haiti. Strengthened collaborations with Vanderbilt, Harvard, University of California (Berkeley), the Hastings Center, and the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center offer diverse training opportunities. The program will continue to emphasize medium and long-term advanced research training in Haiti. Since its inception, the AITRP program has provided medium- and long-term training to 121 Haitian biomedical personnel, with 98% currently conducting HIV/AIDS work in Haiti. The training offered will be related to six general HIV/AIDS research categories: 1) HIV vaccine trials; 2) antiretroviral clinical trials; 3) pediatrics and maternal-infant transmission research; 4) HIVassociated opportunistic infections - tuberculosis and human papilloma virus infection (HPV); 5) ethics and behavioral research, with an emphasis on adolescents; and 7) pathogenesis, immunology, and virology. The proposed training will be conducted largely in Haiti, with much of the training done by the former Fogarty trainees. The training program is imbedded in the ongoing collaborative Cornell-GHESKIO HIV research and clinical activities, including the following: HIV Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) for HIV vaccine and antiretroviral clinical trials; WHO/TDR tuberculosis and syphilis research; United Nations Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); Comprehensive International Program Research on AIDS (CIPRA); International Clinical Operational Health Services Research Training on AIDS (ICOHRTA); Caribbean, Central, and South America Network (CCASAnet); and the Trans-Caribbean HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (TCHARI). A high priority will be given to training that will facilitate the conduct of HIV vaccine and clinical trials, and operational and health research programs in Haiti and the Caribbean. In addition to research training in Haiti, trainees will have the opportunity for advanced training with outstanding US mentors. The program's US core and collaborating training faculty are funded scientists committed to AIDS research. The faculty constitutes a cohesive unit, with diverse but focused interests.