The principal objective of this proposal is to develop a research training program in clinical, operational and health services research in Brazil and South Africa. The long term goal of this award is to establish a collaborative network of Brazilian and South African investigators who can undertake high quality studies focusing on leading AIDS-related malignancies in developing settings. This application, """"""""Training for Clinical Research of HIV-Associated Malignancies: Brazil and South Africa"""""""", is submitted jointly by the Johns Hopkins University (JHU), University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our program will build upon an established JHU Fogarty ICOHRTA program that trains Brazilian and South African researchers to conduct epidemiologic studies in HIV/AIDS and the JHU Fogarty AITRP program. Training will be targeted at designing, implementing and analyzing publishable studies for AIDS-related malignancies in these countries. Two large HIV/AIDS cohorts currently being followed jointly by JHU researchers and our colleagues in these countries provide an excellent research platform within which studies will be nested. These cohorts have matured and AIDS related malignancies - particularly cervical cancer which is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in both countries - are now being investigated. Training at JHU will be accompanied by extensive mentoring by experienced in-country researchers. Specifically, the program will prepare researchers who will be able to successfully carry out the large number of clinical, operational and health services research projects that are currently underway or planned in their respective countries. Furthermore, trainees will be encouraged to develop their own proposals for studies that address etiology, epidemiology and natural history, prevention and molecular characterization of leading AIDS-related malignancies. Over the 3 years of the program, there will be 72 individual and 6 group training activities, a total of 142 trainees (50% from Brazil; 50% South Africa). 18 trainees, 6 each year, will complete an intensive 4-week summer program at JHU followed by In Country (1C) mentoring by JHU and 1C faculty. 12 trainees, 4 each year, will return to JHU 6 months later for a 2-week follow up intensive training. 2 trainees will be awarded Re-entry Grants (REG) and 1 long-term postdoctoral fellow will develop GRIP proposal. The 2 REG awardees and the Postdoctoral fellow will be supported to attend major HIV/AIDS scientific meetings to present abstracts.
As survival of HIV-infected populations worldwide increases, the incidence of AIDS-associated malignancies will continue to rise. Developing appropriate and feasible public health studies is vital to understanding their impact on this population. Our primary goal is to train young researchers to become leaders in design, implementation and analysis of clinical, operational and epidemiologic studies of HIV-related malignancies in two countries where large cohorts of HIV-infected populations are highly accessible. ? ? ?
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