This AIDS Intemational Research and Training Program (AITRP) proposal builds upon a long-standing partnership between Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania, and will complement and facilitate a growing number of collaborative research projects. The goals of this program are (1) to develop a """"""""critical mass"""""""" of investigators capable of conducting state-of-the-art clinical, epidemiological, operational, biomedical, and behavioral HIV prevention and treatment research and (2) to build research infrastructure and provide research opportunities for a cadre of qualified researchers in Moshi. By bringing together the collective expertise of investigators in Duke's Human Vaccine Institute, the AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, and the Sanford Institute of Public Policy, and by augmenting training at the degree-based Clinical Research Training Program at Duke with other degree programs from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health and training in the various clinical research disciplines at Family Health International and facilitating """"""""South-to-South"""""""" training opportunities within Africa, this AITRP will strengthen significantly the sustainability of HIV/AIDS research in Tanzania. To accomplish these goals, we propose a range of long-, medium-, and short-term training and research activities. Training opportunities will include: (a) Long-term (1-2 years) training in the U.S. focusing on biomedical, epidemiological, operational, and behavioral aspects of AIDS prevention and treatment for selected investigators; (b) Medium-term (3-6 months) training in the U.S. for health professionals in laboratory procedures and research techniques which directly support AIDS prevention and treatment research; (c) Short-term (3-6 weeks) regional training in sub-Saharan Africa for professionals, technicians, and other research staff. Research infrastructure work will include: (1) Continuing intellectual and logistical support for long-term trainees returning to Moshi with competitive re-entry research support and (2) Support to encourage qualified Duke and KCMC faculty to become involved in advanced research training activities relevant to Tanzanian research priorities. There is extraordinary commitment, capacity, and expertise in place at DUMC and KCMC to establish an AIDS International Training and Research Program, thereby enhancing HIV prevention and treatment research in Tanzania and in other resource-poor regions.
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