Research Training for Substance Use Mediated HIV Epidemic in Kazakhstan

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The NYS International Training and Research Program (ITRP) of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (DHSU) proposes to renew its existing HIV Research Training Program in Kazakhstan (KZ) in collaboration with Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University (KNMU) in Almaty. NYS-ITRP has a 25-year history of successfully providing advanced HIV research training in the region and enhancing research capacity. While NYS-ITRP investments have strengthened the ability of KZ to respond to the HIV epidemic, cases of HIV infection are rising, substance use (SU) treatment is poorly developed, and the COVID-19 pandemic complicates the delivery of both HIV and SU treatment. Long-term goals include addressing the behavioral and structural interventions needed to respond to gaps in the HIV treatment cascade in KZ, with an emphasis on SU disorders. Objectives include providing: 1) an 11-month certificate program to 6 KNMU faculty to strengthen the research and academic capacity for KZ; 2) advanced degree training (MS) in epidemiology for 2 KNMU School of Public Health (SPH) faculty; 3) medium term training in epidemiology/biostatistics to 5 trainees from Kazakh Research Center of Dermatology and Infectious Disease (KRCDID), National Research and Clinical Center of Mental Health, and other KNMU faculty; and 4) research training capacity building for the KNMU SPH. Key activities include short term training, including an annual 2-day scientific meeting at KNMU, focusing on HIV treatment challenges and intersections with SU disorders, a 2-day faculty development workshop, and expanding KNMU SPH curricula on topics covering research design and addictive disorders. The program provides short-, medium-, and long-term training modalities designed to provide the maximum, cost-effective training coverage for individual trainees and strengthen research training at KNMU. Our efforts will focus primarily on junior faculty from the KNMU SPH as well as representatives from KRCDID, and National Research and Clinical Center of Mental Health, thus drawing together a deeper partnership between national public health service and the academic research community. Long-term trainees will be expected to develop a research proposal that uses in-country data related to HIV and/or SU. All training is designed to bolster research capacity focused on the intersection of SU disorder and the HIV treatment cascade and to enhance the role of KNMU as a national leader in HIV-related research training. Measures to demonstrate increased capacity include assessment of academic progress of faculty and student trainees; trainee surveys; KNMU SPH core curricula review and development; and advanced in-country research support.