This is the first competitive renewal application for the UNC AIDS International Training and Research Program. We propose to continue to provide training in three countries: The Peoples Republic of China, Malawi and Cameroon. Investigators at UNC have worked in China since 1979, Malawi since 1989, and Cameroon since 1998. The UNC AITRP has embraced several guiding principles. First, we have tried to use training to build strong ties to key in-country organizations. Second, we have selected training opportunities that build on funded research projects that can bridge all the strengths of UNC. Wherever possible we """"""""overlap"""""""" basic, clinical and epidemiological training and research so as to build critical mass. Third, we have used the Fogarty training to embrace and promote international research networks including the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN, China, Malawi), the HIV Vaccine Network (HIVNET, China), the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG, Malawi), WHO STI Initiative (China), and Center for Intemational Prevention of AIDS (CIPRA, China); we have worked to help secure UNAIDS Global Funds and consider the potential impact of support by the Global Fund. Fourth, we have developed critical south-south and international collaborations to facilitate training and ongoing research opportunities including the Thai Red Cross, the University of Witwatersrand, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the University of Chicago. Fifth, we have looked for opportunities for evolution and innovation including formation of new collaborations, development of unique reentry strategies, and application of novel technologies relevant to the countries involved. Sixth, we are committed to decentralized and in-country leadership. The UNC Fogarty training is designed to react specifically to recent country assessments, ongoing funded research projects, and the contribution of the Global Fund. The trainees should find themselves in the center of critical activities, with skill sets in demand. The UNC Program takes a cross-cutting approach to training, with equal emphasis on public health, behavioral, basic and clinical research. This renewal Application embraces short, medium and long-term training opportunities balanced between the opprtunities and needs of each country. Degree training has been emphasized in Malawi and Cameroon, including support for a new public health school in Malawi.
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