Developmental Core (Core B) The mission of the Development Core is to operationalize the Scientific Agenda of the UAB CFAR through strategic investment, targeted recruitment, and to ensure the development of early investigators in HIV research. This is accomplished through provision of direct financial support, partnerships with Departmental leaders on campus, and through directed mentorship and linkage to UAB CFAR services and collaborative investigators for emerging scientists. The Developmental Core acts as a mentoring and research integration support system serving UAB investigators engaged in HIV/AIDS research, with a particular emphasis on supporting early stage and underrepresented minority investigators. Implementation of the UAB CFAR vision has been and remains key to the dynamic and vibrant research environment that has made it one of the most prolific contributors to HIV research for almost 30 years. The Developmental Core steers the UAB CFAR in promoting basic, translational, clinical, and community-engaged research and will continue to do so through 4 aims.
The first aim will mentor early career UAB CFAR faculty members to compete and cope with the rigors of academic research. The core will provide targeted mentoring to junior faculty via faculty development programs and linkage to mentors specific to their research area and career ambitions. We will also provide linkage to collaborators with the UAB HIV Network affiliations and assistance with grant writing and review. Mentorship training is enhanced via our collaboration with the NIH funded UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science and UAB?s Graduate School.
The second aim will administer the highly successful CFAR Developmental Grant Program. As our investment in young investigators impacts future HIV research efforts at UAB, the program will be aligned with the NIH?s HIV/AIDS Research initiatives and with an emphasis placed on the career development of young investigators and underrepresented minority investigators.
The third aim will foster a collaborative research environment through the interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs) and our scientific working group (SWG). Working on a common topic, via the IRG or SWG mechanism, is an efficient strategy to promote the generation of new scientific ideas and the development of new areas of collaborative or independent research. We will work with the IRGs as well as our newly formed Ending HIV in Alabama SWG to identify collaborative opportunities for senior and junior investigators, and to facilitate mentoring and academic development of young investigators.
The final aim will coordinate UAB CFAR resources in support of recruited investigators who fit the CFAR Strategic Plan. During this past funding period, we successfully recruited new faculty into the HIV research arena, and increased the ethnic and gender diversity of our team of investigators. We have intensified our efforts to ensure that all recruits become successful investigators, and that they are supported by the breadth of CFAR services available for their research and career development.
These aims have been formulated in large part from our experiences, and we are confident that they will ensure the continuation of UAB?s strong HIV research base.
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