This application is made in support of a meeting on the topic of the effects of hormonal contraceptive use on transmission of the HIV virus. The conference will examine the most up-to-date evidence on the topic, needs and strategies for future research, and what actions family planning and HIV prevention programs should currently be taking in response to what is known. The meeting will take place at the New York Academy of Sciences, 2 East 63rd Street, New York City, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, March 10-12, 2005. Attendees will include prominent animal, human, and epidemiological researchers, managers of family planning and HIV-prevention/treatment programs, medical ethicists, and other reproductive health professionals with an interest in the topic. The goal of the meeting will be to come to consensus on: 1. The current evidence for and against an effect of hormonal contraception (or particular types of hormonal contraception) on the transmission of the HIV virus to and from women. 2. The specific research needed to answer any questions which remain on this topic, as well as strategies to avoid the many methodological and ethical pitfalls which beset such research. 3. The implications, in terms of best practices, of the available evidence for professionals involved in the provision of family planning and HIV/AIDS services, particularly in the developing world. The conclusions of the meeting will be published in a widely disseminated report, in a special issue of the quarterly publication """"""""Outlook,"""""""" and in a review article submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
