The UCLA School of Public Health and the Hanoi Medical University (HMU) in Vietnam propose to collaborate on a training program in advanced research methodology and HIV/AIDS. The proposed program will provide academic training at UCLA for MS and PhD trainees from Vietnam. The fieldwork for the MS theses and PhD dissertations will be conducted in Vietnam, and will be mentored by UCLA and HMU faculty, members of the Training Advisory Committee (TAC), and certain graduates of the previous UCLA/Fogarty AIDS International Training & Research Program (AITRP). In addition, the program will provide nine-month postdoctoral training at UCLA for senior faculty members from HMU. Upon completion of the nine-month training, UCLA faculty will collaborate with HMU faculty to conduct in-country summer institutes and workshops on community-based interventions, implementation science, program monitoring and evaluation, research ethics, cohort study design and evaluation, advanced data management/statistical analysis, and grant writing and management. The proposed strategy will build teaching and curriculum development capacities for HMU for new courses in advanced research methodologies. The proposed training program will not only strengthen the research capacity at HMU, but will also have a significant impact on other medical and public health institutions in Vietnam. It will contribute t addressing the critical gap identified by the National HIV/AIDS Program and help to strengthen the sustainability and quality of HIV research and control programs in Vietnam.
HIV/AIDS is an important health problem in Vietnam. The country has mounted a vigorous response to the epidemic, but needs public health experts and researchers to design, staff, guide, and evaluate control efforts. The UCLA School of Public Health will collaborate with Hanoi Medical University to build research capacity for health professionals there to design, implement, and evaluate HIV control efforts in Vietnam.
