The University of Washington provides a rich and stimulating environment for the STD &AIDS Research Training Program, now in Year 35, which has trained 197 trainees (54 pre- and 143 post-doctoral) since 1974. Of all fellows who have completed training, 87% went on to faculty or senior research positions in academia, leadership positions in public health or government, or senior scientist positions in the biomedical sciences. For the current proposal, Sheila Lukehart PhD will continue to serve as Program Director, with Jeanne Marrazzo MD, MPH as Co-Director;they will lead an Executive Committee comprised of the five Research Track Directors. An Advisory Committee of Drs. King Holmes, Judith Wasserheit, and Sevgi Aral will also provide oversight of the program, help to monitor trainee progress, and advise the Executive Committee regarding emerging opportunities in STD and HIV/AIDS research. Federal and foundation funding for STD &AIDS-related research, training, and service at UW and its affiliated institutions exceeded $350 million in 2011. The number of UW faculty involved in STD and HIV/AIDS research has grown from 10 in 1970 to over 400 in 2012. For this training program, a selected group of 65 faculty serve as Senior or Junior Mentors. We request continued funding for 9 post-doctoral (4 PhDs and 5 MDs with subspecialty training in varied clinical disciplines) and 6 predoctoral trainees. The program's Core Curriculum, mandatory for all trainees, includes the following annual events: * Principles of STD and AIDS Research, a 2 week intensive course on research methods and questions """""""" STD &AIDS Research Symposium, held in Fall, with presentations by trainees and new investigators """""""" Research retreat held jointly with the UW Division of Allergy &Infectious Diseases * STD and HIV Training Retreat, to be held annually each Spring * Biomedical Research Integrity series * Survival Skills for the Research Years * Focused research conferences, seminars, and symposia relevant to trainees'area of research * MD trainees will receive clinical training experience in STD, HIV/AIDS, and HIV/viral hepatitis clinics. Research training has been re-organized into five interdisciplinary tracks, all with pre- and postdoctoral training options (including MPH options for MD trainees): 1) Bacterial and Viral STD Pathogenesis &Immunology;2) Research in HIV/STD Care &Affected Populations;3) STD/HIV in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, 4) Epidemiology &Prevention Interventions for HIV/STD, and 5) Health Metrics &Modeling in HIV/STD. Joint supervision of fellows by faculty from basic and clinical sciences is frequent, as is extensive interaction among faculty and trainees in the five tracks. The program evaluation plan includes process and outcome objectives, with systematic collection of these measures with ongoing program modification as indicated.
Sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, are major public health issues in the United States and globally. This training program, now in its 35th year, has trained nearly 200 postdoctoral and predoctoral fellows in STD and HIV/AIDS research, nearly 90% of whom have continued in academia, public health or government, or in other biomedical research venues. Continued support for this training program is requested.
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