Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services

ABSTRACT - OVERALL The Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) proposes an HIV/AIDS research agenda aimed to reduce HIV transmissions. CHIPTS promotes science, networking, and capacity building to aid viral suppression for people with HIV (PWH) and reduces HIV infections for those at-risk, for those living with mental health and substance use disorders and barriers to social and structural determinants of health (which we termed as comorbidities). CHIPTS is a collaboration of leading scientists from UCLA, Charles Drew University, Friends Research Institute, and RAND Corporation. Five research themes are proposed: (1) guide a Southern California regional strategy to End the HIV Epidemic; (2) stimulate HIV prevention research that addresses comorbidities among key populations in U.S. and globally (MSM of color, transgender women, etc.); (3) catalyze multi-level combination behavioral, biomedical, technological and structural prevention research; (4) promote diversity, demand equity and support inclusion in the developing the next generation of HIV science and HIV scientists; and (5) create innovative methods to advance these themes. The specific aims are: (1) Science: To promote novel, high impact and transformational research that disrupts barriers to implementation, uptake, adherence, and persistence across HIV prevention, care, and policy continua in key populations simultaneously affected by comorbidities; (2) Networking: To facilitate collaboration among scientists, providers, policy makers and stakeholders from affected and at-risk communities to support the next generation of HIV prevention science and scientists; (3) Capacity Building: To promote diversity and equity as we mentor and train researchers, policy makers, providers, community leaders and staff members in mental health, social service, criminal justice, social justice, public health, and administrative systems regarding comorbidities to HIV. CHIPTS is comprised of five cores: (1) Administrative Core, which sets the scientific agenda, leads the interdisciplinary team, prioritize and coordinates the center's activities; It manages administrative and financial functions, leads strategic planning, evaluates center's progress, and houses a cross-disciplinary Global HIV Prevention Program. (2) Development Core, which provides mentored opportunities to invest in emerging investigators with diverse backgrounds to generate multi-disciplinary HIV prevention science; (3) Combination Prevention Core, which facilitates research, brokers collaborations, promotes combination behavioral, biomedical, technological and structural HIV prevention science; (4) Methods Core, which guides innovation in measurement, statistical methods for multiple outcomes for people with or at risk for HIV; (5) Policy Impact Core, which impacts public health by infusing policy considerations into research design, promotes findings to influence policy making, and contextualizes scientific discoveries to guide future policy decisions and implementations at local, national, and international levels.