Training Program in Approaches to Address Social-Structural Factors Related to HIV

Four decades into the global HIV pandemic, HIV/AIDS remains a pressing public health challenge contributing to almost 1 million deaths per year. Highly efficacious biomedical interventions have emerged, including multiple modalities of long-acting anti-retroviral-based treatment and prevention. However, not all people have equal access to these lifesaving technologies. Many of the same social-structural determinants that have historically constrained HIV protective behaviors, limit the potential for people and communities to benefit from the real-world impact of these new technologies. Although there is increasing attention in the field to the role of social-structural factors on prevention and treatment, substantial gaps exist about how best to conceptualize, research, and develop effective interventions to address the influence of these factors on HIV prevention, treatment and care outcomes. The proposed predoctoral Training Program in Approaches to Address Social-Structural Factors Related to HIV will prepare the next generation of community-engaged researchers to rigorously study and strategically intervene on these factors to end the HIV epidemic. The program will leverage the multi-faceted strengths of the Departments of Prevention and Community Health and Psychological and Brain Sciences at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and the College of Arts and Sciences, respectively, the School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology, and the George Washington School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Pre-doctoral trainees will undertake a rigorous program of coursework including a solid foundation in social-structural theory, multiple research methodologies, and multi-level intervention development and evaluation. Trainees will participate in cross-cutting and integrative activities including a monthly seminar series, mentored research projects, and community and stakeholder engagement rounds. Trainees will be supported by a group of 18 program faculty members with expertise in addressing HIV and related health outcomes. Proposed Co-Program Directors, Dr. Lisa Bowleg and Dr. Deanna Kerrigan, are recognized leaders in the United States and global HIV response and both are executive committee members of the District of Columbia Center for AIDS Research, which will serve as a foundational platform for the training program.