Culturally-focused HIV Advancements through the Next Generation for Equity (CHANGE) Training Program

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Project Summary/Abstract Science is failing minorities in the US by 1) not facilitating adequate pipelines for the professional development of minority scientists and 2) not focusing adequate research on the disparities affecting minority populations. This proposed institutional training grant (T32) targets this gap by providing robust research training on HIV and mental health disparities that impact racial/ethnic minorities and establishing a pipeline to support underrepresented Black and Latinx trainee scientists. Preparing trainees with the scientific tools to become experts in the complex interplay of socio-structural and individual mental health variables perpetuating disparities in HIV outcomes is crucial to ending the HIV epidemic. HIV continues to disproportionally impact Black and Latinx communities in the US; and Miami remains the epicenter of HIV with most new HIV diagnoses annually. Miami’s racial/ethnic, cultural, and sexual/gender diversity, its HIV-related health and mental health disparities, and the training infrastructure and faculty expertise at the University of Miami (UM), make Miami an ideal location for this HIV mental health research training program. The proposed T32 is closely tied to the aims of the UM Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM, an NIMH-funded Developmental AIDS Research Center; D-ARC). It will train two underrepresented pre-doctoral students in psychology and public health sciences and up to 4 post-doctoral fellows across disciplines over 5 years in two linked areas: 1) culturally informed interventions for racial/ethnic, sexual, and gender minority populations and 2) innovative bio-behavioral interventions including scale up, linkage, and dissemination/implementation programs for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP) in populations who need it most. Training will emphasize 1) innovative state-of the science statistical and design methods, 2) community engagement through participatory research, and 3) professional development, mentorship, and network building congruent with the needs of racial/ethnic trainees focused on minority populations - all to ensure long-term success of program graduates. These focal areas are closely aligned with NIH/DAIDS goals, CHARM expertise, UM public health and psychology faculty, and UM’s roadmap for racial justice. Innovations include a focus on immersive community engagement and community- based participatory research projects, integrated with coursework and training in key behavioral science topics such as socio-structural, bio-behavioral and epidemiological foundations of HIV/mental health research. Weekly seminars will provide professional development in rigor and reproducibility, innovative methods, community-engaged research and immersion in the HIV and mental health fields, building professional networks, capitalizing on UM’s faculty mentoring expertise, and providing linkages with the CHARM Community Advisory Board. T32 fellows will graduate with the expertise and capacity to achieve their professional goals and skills to conduct research to reduce HIV disparities in Black and Latinx communities.