Developmental Core

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ABSTRACT Human resource capacity building and training are urgently needed to establish a sustainable research enterprise that will improve prevention, diagnosis, connection to care, basic mechanistic understanding, and treatment of neoplastic diseases, like Kaposi sarcoma (KS) that continue to affect people living with HIV (PLWH), despite effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). The combined expertise of our team, coupled with our ongoing D43 cancer research and training programs with CDH/UTH and ORCI, will bolster the continued development of CDH/UTH and ORCI research on KS and other HIV associated malignancies, while promoting inter-African research networking. It will also provide opportunities for U.S. oncology, infectious disease, and public health fellows interested in a research career in global health to gain essential experience in the LMIC setting and develop research collaborations. To further enhance cancer research infrastructure in Tanzania and Zambia, and specifically focus on KS, the “KS in the Era of ART in Africa Program (KEAAP)” proposes to establish a network comprised of LSUHSC-NO, CDH/UTH, and ORCI that is focused on implementation science, immunology, and histopathology of KS in PLWH. The goal of the Career Developmental Core is to provide mentoring and training activities that will support the research, career, and leadership development of promising investigators at ORCI and CDH/UTH as well as early-career clinical researchers from the United States. This goal will be achieved by 1) implementing a mentored pilot research project program to support scientifically meritorious projects led by junior investigators in Tanzania, Zambia, and the United States; 2) expanding peer-to-peer mentoring and career development programs between CDH/UTH, ORCI, and LSUHSC-NO; and 3) providing in-country courses, workshops, and cross-training between UTH and ORCI, focused on targeted research skills and professional development needs of early-stage investigators. Through these research and capacity building activities, KEAAP will foster an integrated mentoring approach, utilizing faculty from all involved institutions to serve as a resource for consortium trainees. KEAAP will encourage peer-peer networking among researchers through in-person and web-hosted training. KEAAP will develop a next-generation of researchers, mentors, and trainers who are anticipated to collaborate in, develop and cross- pollinate other’s research and training efforts that promote the development of increasingly more effective research networks for Sub-Saharan Africa/US collaborations focused on improving health outcomes for PLWH.