INTERNATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM IN EPIDEMIOLOGY OF AIDS

描述(由申请人提供)：拟议的培训计划建立在过去10年的成功和教训的基础上，因为它实现了重大飞跃。不断增长的研究基础设施、不断增长的本地专业知识、越来越多的NIH资助的研究机会，为这一迄今成功的艾滋病/结核病培训计划创造了一系列新的挑战和机遇，因为该计划正在进行调整，以满足南非和该地区现有的和新兴的研究培训需求。该计划过去的44名长期受训人员和69名短期受训人员在科学方面取得了丰硕成果(包括《科学》、《自然》和《柳叶刀》论文在内的515份出版物)，做出了重大的科学贡献，为南非成功获得国家卫生研究院和其他国际赠款发挥了重要作用，并担任了几个关键的领导职位。在前一个周期中，美国和南非之间的培训、研究和指导的连续性已经在一定程度上平衡了美国和南非之间的伙伴关系，但仍需要做更多的工作，特别是在治疗提供和治疗计划评估培训的挑战变得更加紧迫的情况下。 在当前周期中，该计划的重点将是找出南非现有卓越研究中心的关键差距，并招聘、培训和指导适当的热情、聪明的年轻和成熟的中层研究人员，为他们提供设计和实施大规模临床试验(特别是疫苗和杀微生物剂)所需的知识库和技能；发病机制研究、艾滋病毒/结核病相互作用研究和抗逆转录病毒治疗影响评估。目标是加强和扩大南非现有的与艾滋病毒有关的独立研究小组的数量；加强南非承担国家和区域更多培训需求的能力，并发展开展、实施和监测南非扩大艾滋病治疗所需的技能。在持续评估培训重点的指导下，在一个平衡的美国-南非科学咨询委员会的认真监督下，我们将继续适当地在美国和南非提供各种短期到中期和长期的培训机会。来自公认的艾滋病研究组织的受训人员将被优先考虑。美国和南非将积极努力实现培训机会均等。这包括在南非建立一个高质量的流行病学硕士课程，最初由美国和南非的教师联合授课。由美国国立卫生研究院、疾控中心和其他机构资助的丰富的艾滋病和结核病项目为学员提供了多样化的培训和研究机会。总体而言，该计划旨在增加南非独立建立的艾滋病和结核病研究人员的数量，以便为未来的国内指导和培训提供当地临界质量。虽然这是一个长期目标，但拟议的计划从这项任务入手，充分利用了过去5年中学到的最有价值的经验教训，例如持续的国内指导、指导和支持的重要性，帮助撰写补助金，以及招募已经在富有成效的研究小组中的候选人。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed training program builds on the successes and lessons of the previous 10 years as it takes a major leap forward. The growing research infrastructure, the growing local expertise, growing NIH funded research opportunities create a new set of challenges and opportunities for this hitherto successful AIDS/TB training program as the program adapts in response to meet the existing and emerging research training needs in South Africa and the region. The past 44 long-term and 69 short-term trainees of the program have been scientifically productive (515 publications including papers in Science, Nature, and Lancet), have made major new scientific contributions, have been instrumental to South Africa's success in securing NIH and other international grants and have taken up several key leadership positions. The continuum of training, research, and mentoring between the US and SA in the previous cycle has already gone some way towards equalizing the partnership between the US and South African but more still needs to be done, especially as the challenge of training for treatment provision and treatment program evaluations becomes more immediate. The emphasis of the program in this current cycle will be to identify critical gaps in existing centers of research excellence in South Africa and recruit, train and mentor appropriate enthusiastic, bright young and established mid-level investigators to provide them with the knowledge base and skills needed for the design and conduct of large-scale clinical trials (esp for vaccines and microbicides); pathogenesis studies, studies on the HIV/TB interaction and evaluation of the impact of ARV treatment. The goal is to strengthen existing and expand the number of independent HIV-related research teams in South Africa; strengthen South Africa's capacity to assume more of the country's and region's training needs and developing the skills needed to operationalize, implement and monitor the South African scale-up of AIDS treatment. Guided by the ongoing assessment of training priorities and with careful oversight from a balanced US-SA Scientific Advisory Committee, we will continue to provide as appropriate a variety of short-to-medium, and long-term training opportunities in the US and South Africa. Priority will be given to trainees from recognized AIDS research groups. Vigorous effort will go towards equalization of the training opportunities between the US and South Africa. This includes the establishment of a high quality masters program in epidemiology in South Africa taught initially jointly by US and South African faculty. A rich tapestry of AIDS and TB projects funded by NIH, CDC, and others offer diverse training and research opportunities to trainees for their placements. Overall, this program is designed to increase the number of independent established AIDS and TB researchers in South Africa so that there is local critical mass for future in-country mentorship and training. While this is a long-term goal, the proposed program sets about this task well armed with the most valuable lessons learnt in the last 5 years such as the importance of ongoing in-country mentorship, guidance and support, assistance with grant writing, and recruitment of candidates who are already in productive research groups.