The University of Washington's International AIDS Research and Training Program (IARTP) has trained 150 foreign and 44 US investigators since the program was initiated in 1988 by Dr. Joan Kreiss. Overall, 93% of foreign trainees have returned to their home country following training, with a return rate of 98% for trainees who completed their training within the last 5 years. IARTP training has focused on four target countries: Kenya, Peru, Mozambique and Thailand. Former IARTP trainees in the two most established sites, Kenya and Peru, have emerged as successful and highly motivated investigators capable of securing funding for expanding research groups and developing proposals for long-term capacity building through CIPRA and ICOHRTA mechanisms. The primary goals of the University of Washington's IARTP will be to promote international collaborative HIVIAIDS research and develop research and public health infrastructure in these countries. Nine members of the International Advisory Board and three Track Directors in epidemiology, laboratory sciences, and biostatistics will work with the Director, Co-Director, and core faculty to nominate, select, and mentor trainees. The 31 core and more than 50 resource faculty represent multiple disciplines and offer trainees opportunities to collaborate with established HIV/AIDS programs (CFAR, HVTN, HPTN, SCHARP, ACTG, other FIC programs). New additions to the IARTP infrastructure include the following: 1) a Biostatistics Track has been created to meet the need for biostatistics training in our target countries, 2) two faculty members with expertise in therapeutic and prevention trials have been selected to coordinate training for candidates interested in clinical research, and 3) an external review committee, the Training Advisory Group, will review the program annually and conduct peer review of thesis/dissertation research proposals. The training program will continue to emphasize long-term training in epidemiology and health services through the School of Public Health's MPH program, especially in Mozambique, Thailand, and India, a new University of Washington training site that is being proposed in a competing supplement. In Peru and Kenya, more emphasis will be placed on providing opportunities for long-term training in biostatistics and basic science disciplines. Capacity building through short-term training in biomedical ethics and administration will be a major focus in all four countries. During the next five years, the IARTP will select 3-4 foreign postdoctoral trainees each year for MPH training and 1-2 predoctoral candidates for master's or doctoral degrees in other disciplines. Two University of Washington post-doctoral fellows or pre-doctoral students will also receive long-term training at a collaborative site. Medium and short-term training for ~ 14 foreign candidates will be available in epidemiology, biostatistics, laboratory science, biomedical ethics, and administration. Training will involve a wide variety of health professionals and include Kenyan and Peruvian medical students as part of a new UW student bilateral exchange. The IARTP will complement training at the University of Washington with development of in-country training programs for HIV/STD research methods, the responsible conduct of research, grant writing, and grants management. Regional collaborations with other AITRPs and University of Washington Fogarty programs will be strengthened to maximize the benefits of these courses/workshops and south-south collaborations between IARTP sites (e.g., Kenya and Mozambique) will be promoted.
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