Next Generation Nurse Scientists Ending the HIV Epidemic

In the United States, new HIV infections continue at a high level, with an estimated 37,515 Americans receiving an HIV diagnosis each year. In 2019, the “Ending the HIV Epidemic” (EHE) plan for the United States was developed with the goal of reducing new HIV infections by 75% by 2025, and by at least 90% by 2030, representing an effort to refocus national attention on ending the domestic HIV epidemic. The need for nurse scientists who can plan and conduct rigorous and innovative research in HIV prevention and care, including implementation science, is greater today than ever. To address this need, we propose to launch the “Next Generation Nurse Scientists Ending the HIV Epidemic” program in the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing. The overarching goal of this T32 program is to train a qualified cadre of nurse scientists in research methods to lead efforts to End the HIV Epidemic. This program will (1) Increase the number of nurse scholars who are prepared with the knowledge and skills necessary: to design and conduct research that advances the science on HIV, HIV interventions, and HIV implementation strategies; and to employ implementation science methods for studying translation of HIV interventions into real-world clinical and community settings; (2) Mentor trainees to identify a specific area of HIV research that will allow them to establish a program of research that outlines their content and methods expertise; (3) Prepare trainees with grantsmanship and leadership skills to conceptualize, write, conduct, administer, and disseminate results for an extramural grant-funded study, and (4) Conduct an evaluation of the Program to determine process and outcome. This training program will be delivered within the research-intensive academic setting of UCSF, with extensive opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration with entities such as the AIDS Research Institute, the Center for AIDS Research, and the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, along with clinical settings that include the original San Francisco Model clinic Ward 86 at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. With a focus on nursing approaches to prevention and care, this program will also build on over 20 years of the HIV/AIDS Nursing Care and Prevention Training Program (T32NR07081), which produced many nurse scientists who have gone on to be leaders in HIV nursing research in the United States and beyond. The “Next Generation Nurse Scientists Ending the HIV Epidemic” program will include training opportunities for 4 predoctoral and 2 postdoctoral nurse scholars each year. Our goal is to train the next generation of scientists in nursing research approaches to End the HIV Epidemic.