The proposed T32 program objectives are to: 1) provide rigorous interdisciplinary pre- doctoral and post-doctoral training in health services research related to addiction and HIV or addiction and HIV/HCV co-infection; 2) mentor trainees to conduct studies that involve the development, testing and implementation of strategies to improve HIV testing, linkage, and adherence to care, and use integrated approaches to service delivery related to substance use and co-occurring HIV and HCV; and 3) prepare trainees to disseminate research findings and translate them into practice and policy. Addiction, HIV and HCV commonly co-occur and require integration of care. To address the need for health services researchers focused on the co-occurrence of addiction, HIV, and HIV/HCV co- infection, we propose the Integrated Care for Addiction, HIV and HCV Research and Education (ICAHRE) training program within the PhD and MS programs in Health Services Research (HSR) at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), in partnership with the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC), New England?s largest safety net hospital. The program will provide training both to pre-doctoral trainees in the PhD program, and to post-doctoral trainees (physician investigators) in the MS program who have a strong research interest in addiction and HIV and/or HCV, thus addressing the need to train a variety of clinical researchers for work in this understudied area. The formal training period will encompass the coursework phase of the trainee?s degree program, and include research seminars, research rotations, mentored research leading to the degree, and both didactic and experiential training in the communication of science. Our focus on implementation and organization science and the translation of research into practice, and our model of mentoring teams with a Primary Research Mentor, a Research Methods Mentor,and a matching Clinical Implementation Mentor for trainees are among this proposal?s innovations. Collectively, our training faculty brings substantial knowledge in addiction, HIV, HCV and different approaches to HSR, including using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
This pre- and post-doctoral training program will develop a cadre of health services researchers who will investigate the provision of health services to individuals living with substance use disorder and co-occurring HIV, or substance use disorder and HIV/HCV co-infection. Mentors will prepare trainees to conduct studies that involve the development, testing and implementation of strategies to improve HIV testing, linkage, and adherence to care in vulnerable populations with addictions.
