This renewal of the HIV Research Education Institute for Diverse Scholars (REIDS) at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) at Yale University addresses the documented challenges and barriers to the advancement of underrepresented race and ethnic minority scholars in the field of HIV/AIDS research. Our program seeks to provide education and mentorship on the conduct of community-based implementation science. Five cohorts of four REM scholars, each at the advanced postdoctoral or junior faculty level, will be recruited and retained (total N=20). Recognizing the importance of quality mentorship and access to practical experience in setting the trajectory for productivity and success of new investigators, and especially those from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups, the REIDS program consists of: (1) a 4-week intensive face to face Summer Institute for two summers on community-based implementation science; (2) an online monthly seminar during the academic year focusing on feedback on ongoing research, professional development, and grant writing; (3) the conduct of a $20,000 pilot project on HIV community-based implementation science; (4) a structured and intensive Mentorship program that addresses structural and individual barriers to advancement for racial and ethnic minority Fellows that includes mentorship from a leading research in HIV prevention and implementation science (Primary Mentors) and mentorship from a former Fellow (Peer Mentors). Innovative aspects of the program include a focus on community-based implementation science, access to unprecedented resources through CIRA, integration with other HIV Fellowships providing opportunities for collaboration and building of scientific networks, integration with the New England HIV Implementation Science Network (a network of over 350 researchers from CIRA and other university HIV Centers, community-based organizations, state and local health departments, community health centers, non-governmental organizations, and AIDS service providers in the Northeast) providing opportunities for collaborations for the conduct of implementation science projects, and the use of cutting edge online technologies to connect Fellows with Mentors and resources. The REIDS program helps to build an important skill and knowledge base for racial and ethnic minority HIV researchers that will enable them to have a timely and significant impact on the disease in communities that are most in need.
The proposal addresses two key public health issues; the spiraling increase spread of HIV/AIDS within communities of color and the dearth of racial and minority researcher conducting HIV/AIDS research. Through the recruitment and intensive training and mentorship of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority researchers in the area of HIV/AIDS and implementation science, the disparate HIV/AIDS related prevention, access, and treatment within communities of color has the potential to be addressed.
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