Development Core

The Development Core will complement the three proposed Research Cores with coordinated mechanisms for science innovation, internal monitoring, capacity-building, and networking. The Core has four Specific Aims: (1) to facilitate the generation of innovative science likely to achieve maximum public health impact; (2) to ensure rigor, quality, and impact of HIV Center research; (3) to cultivate expertise in emerging ethical and policy issues, enhancing the HIV Center’s goals of health equity, diversity and inclusion; and (4) to build the research capacity of diverse groups of Early-Stage Investigators (ESIs) as they prepare to embark on independent research careers. The Core will accomplish its Aims through a range of functions, including (1) support and monitoring of interdisciplinary pilot studies that position both new and established investigators to obtain extra-mural funding to conduct groundbreaking HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment research; (2) monitoring of developments in the epidemic and scientific advances in HIV prevention and treatment across disciplines, ensuring timely exposure of investigators to these developments and research opportunities through coordination of Center-wide and inter- Core activities (e.g., Seminars, Workshops); (3) facilitating responses to funding opportunities relevant to the HIV Center’s research priorities (e.g., by supporting development of study aims, team building, and identifying new research partners); (4) internal tracking and support during all phases of studies from grant proposal development through implementation of funded projects (e.g., via Cross Core meetings); (5) ensuring ethical and policy perspectives in Center research through individual and Cross-core consultations, interdisciplinary roundtable discussions on emerging topics, in collaboration with other Research Cores, and the Equity Core in particular; (6) identifying research capacity needs of ESIs and providing them with access to Center research, capacity-building, and mentoring resources (e.g., manuscript and grant writing workshops) in consultation with the Research Cores; and (7) Coordinating with Development Cores of other ARCs to promote ESI access to national ARC resources and the organization of inter-ARC Development Core activities. Based in the Department of Psychiatry at New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) and Columbia University (CU), the Core Director, Theodorus Sandfort, Ph.D., is an NIH-funded social psychologist with expertise in sexuality and HIV research and the Director of the HIV Center’s T32 postdoctoral training program. Also based in NYSPI and CU, Robert Klitzman, M.D., with expertise in HIV research ethics and policy, global bioethics, and mental health ethics and policy, will function as Core Associate Director. They will collaborate with Stephen Sukumaran, M.P.H., HIV Center Deputy Director, and a multidisciplinary team of early-stage and established investigators with multidisciplinary research and mentoring records.