Capacity development for HIV and mental health research in Asia (CHIMERA)

Mental illness compromises HIV treatment adherence and retention, but people with HIV in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Asia have limited access to mental health care. There is an urgent need to increase implementation science research capacity to study how to effectively integrate HIV and mental health service delivery and to guide program implementation. CHIMERA (Capacity development for HIv and MEntal health Research in Asia) is the region’s first HIV-mental health implementation science research training program, and is nested within an existing HIV research network, IeDEA Asia-Pacific. Under the leadership of amfAR’s TREAT Asia program and the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, the program includes partners in Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. The objectives are to 1) train Asia LMIC investigators to utilize implementation science methods for studying the intersection between HIV and mental health, and implementing related interventions; 2) facilitate mentorship for HIV, mental health, and implementation research; 3) build understanding of HIV and mental health public health policy; 4) implement, disseminate, and publish pilot research studies; and 5) strengthen Principal Investigator-level grants leadership capacity to develop, compete for, and manage NIH or comparably complex grants. Through a combination of innovative approaches to individual training and capacity-building at a regional level, CHIMERA addresses NIH's HIV/AIDS research priority to reduce HIV-associated comorbidities, and is aligned with the priority to train the multidisciplinary workforce required to conduct research examining health and social issues linked to HIV, including mental health disorders. Building on the first program period, this renewal will recruit 12 Master’s and Doctoral-level candidates as CHIMERA Fellows. The curriculum will combine in-person and remote workshops, webinars, mentorship, an optional Master’s degree program at associated regional universities, and other activities to develop research capacity and promote career development. Fellows will learn about mental health interventions, implementation science, and HIV and mental health-related public health policy. Through individual pilot research projects, they will learn to develop, conduct, and disseminate implementation research that addresses how to integrate HIV and mental health care. A new grants leadership component will provide mentorship and grants management training to four D43 graduates and other emerging leaders seeking to become Principal Investigators of grants on HIV and mental health. We will address long-term sustainability of the program through building capacity at the University of Malaya to prepare for a leadership transition by the time of the next renewal. Central to our approach will be to leverage existing and new partnerships to share training resources and extend the impact of the D43 program.