March 26, 2007

• A. CIRA SPONSORED AIDS SEMINARS
• B. CIRA MEETINGS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
• C. OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

A. CIRA SPONSORED AIDS SEMINARS

1. REGISTER ONLINE NOW!
   AIDS Science Day 2007
   04/16/07, 9:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
   Keynote Panel -- Making HIV Testing Routine: Opportunities and Challenges
   The Panel is a response to revised recommendations on HIV testing recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which call for making HIV tests a routine part of medical care for patients ages 13 to 64. Experts will discuss the implications of these recommendations from legal, policy, clinical, and community perspectives.
   Panelists include:
   Terje Anderson, M.S.W., Founder of Vermont Cares, former Executive Director of the Ntl Assoc of People with AIDS (NAPWA)
   Scott Burris, J.D., Temple Law School, Temple University
   Marsha A. Martin, D.S.W., former Senior Deputy Director, Washington, DC Department of Health, HIV/AIDS Administration
   Krystn Wagner, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director, Nathan Smith Clinic; Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine
   More details are available at http://cira.med.yale.edu/asd/index.html
   Location: Omni Hotel, New Haven, CT
   Contact: For more information visit the Web site or contact Gai Pollard at: (203)764-4342 or gai.pollard@yale.edu
2. THIS WEEK! YACS @ CIRA Seminar Series
   03/29/07, 12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. (Lunch included)
   Title: "Lost in Translation: The Path from Boyhood Sexual Abuse to Adult Sexual Risk"
   Speaker(s): William C. Holmes, M.D., M.S.C.E., Assistant Professor of Medicine, General Internal Medicine, University of Pennsylvania SOM
   Sponsor(s): CIRA and the Institution for Social and Policy Studies
   Location: CIRA, Ste # 200, 135 College Street, New Haven, CT
   Contact: Please RSVP to elizabeth.eocaci@yale.edu. For more information or directions, please call 764-4333, email leif.mitchell@yale.edu or visit the YACS@CIRA Web site: http://cira.med.yale.edu/events/yacs.html
3. THIS WEEK! Research in Progress Seminar Series
   03/30/07, 1:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M.
   Title: "Eliminating the AIDS Stigma in Chinese Hospitals"
   Speaker(s): Liping Ma, M.D., International Trainee
   Sponsor(s): Office of International Training (OIT)
   Location: CIRA, Ste # 200, 135 College Street, New Haven, CT
   
4. NEW! YACS @ CIRA Seminar Series
   04/12/07, 12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M., (Brown bag lunch. Cookies and beverages provided.)
   Title: "Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Risk for HIV: Findings from Studies with Heterosexual Women, Men and Youth"
   Speaker: Geoffrey Garnett, Professor of Microparasite Epidemiology, Division of Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Care, Imperial College, London
   Sponsor(s): Co-sponsored by CIRA, the Institution for Social and Policy Studies and the Yale School of Public Health's Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases
   Location: LEPH Room 608, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT
   Contact: Please RSVP to elizabeth.eocaci@yale.edu. For more information or directions, please call 764-4333, email leif.mitchell@yale.edu or visit the YACS@CIRA Web site: http://cira.med.yale.edu/events/yacs.html
5. NEW! Research in Progress Seminar Series
   04/13/07, 1:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M.
   Title: "Statistical Considerations and Analysis of HIV data from St.-Petersburg, Russia"
   Speaker(s): Sergey Malov, Ph.D., International Trainee
   Sponsor(s): Office of International Training (OIT)
   Location: CIRA, Ste # 200, 135 College Street, New Haven, CT
   

B. CIRA MEETINGS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. THIS WEEK! Peer Review
   03/28/07, 10:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
   Location: CIRA, Ste # 200, 135 College Street, New Haven, CT
   NOTE: Materials for peer review must be submitted one week in advance of the peer review meeting. If you would like to have a manuscript reviewed, please contact Debra Tompkins (debra.tompkins@yale.edu). If you would like to have a proposal reviewed as part of the process of affiliating your research project with CIRA, please contact Kim Blankenship (kim.blankenship@yale.edu). We encourage you to have your proposal reviewed early in its development. The purpose of peer review is to enhance the quality of proposals and publications from CIRA scientists by allowing them to benefit from the Center's expertise. The spirit of CIRA's peer review program is one of collegiality and respect; it is meant to be constructive rather than evaluative. Investigators use the feedback they receive as they see fit.
2. NEW! Peer Review
   04/05/07, 10:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
   Location: CIRA, Ste # 200, 135 College Street, New Haven, CT
   NOTE: Materials for peer review must be submitted one week in advance of the peer review meeting. If you would like to have a manuscript reviewed, please contact Debra Tompkins (debra.tompkins@yale.edu). If you would like to have a proposal reviewed as part of the process of affiliating your research project with CIRA, please contact Kim Blankenship (kim.blankenship@yale.edu). We encourage you to have your proposal reviewed early in its development. The purpose of peer review is to enhance the quality of proposals and publications from CIRA scientists by allowing them to benefit from the Center's expertise. The spirit of CIRA's peer review program is one of collegiality and respect; it is meant to be constructive rather than evaluative. Investigators use the feedback they receive as they see fit.
3. NEW! Peer Review
   04/11/07, 10:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
   Location: CIRA, Ste # 200, 135 College Street, New Haven, CT
   NOTE: Materials for peer review must be submitted one week in advance of the peer review meeting. If you would like to have a manuscript reviewed, please contact Debra Tompkins (debra.tompkins@yale.edu). If you would like to have a proposal reviewed as part of the process of affiliating your research project with CIRA, please contact Kim Blankenship (kim.blankenship@yale.edu). We encourage you to have your proposal reviewed early in its development. The purpose of peer review is to enhance the quality of proposals and publications from CIRA scientists by allowing them to benefit from the Center's expertise. The spirit of CIRA's peer review program is one of collegiality and respect; it is meant to be constructive rather than evaluative. Investigators use the feedback they receive as they see fit.
4. NEW! Executive Committee Meeting
   04/12/07, 10:30 A.M. – 12:00 A.M.
   Location: CIRA, Ste # 200, 135 College Street, New Haven, CT
5. NEW! Interdisciplinary Research Methods (IRM) Core Meeting
   04/13/07, 10:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
   Location: CIRA, Ste # 200, 135 College Street, New Haven, CT

C. OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. TODAY! 2006-2007 Arthur Allen Leff Fellowship Lecture: "Freeing Scientific Culture: The Fight to Provide Public Access To Results The Public Finances"
   03/26/07, 4:30 P.M.
   Speaker(s): Dr. Harold Varmus, President and CEO, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Co-founder, Public Library of Science
   Sponsor(s): The Dean and Faculty of Yale Law School
   Location: Yale Law School, Room 127, 133 Wall Street, New Haven, CT
   Note: Reception to follow in the Alumni Reading Room
2. NEW! THIS WEEK! Biostatistics Seminar: “Confirm and Explore, A Stepwise Approach to Clinical Study Designs”
   03/27/07, 4:15 P.M., Refreshments at 4:00 P.M.
   Most of the Phase II or III clinical trials are designed with a primary objective, and some times with secondary objectives. After the trial is completed and clinical data are available, investigators perform an hypothesis test to examine whether the study drug meets the primary objective, and if so, they further explore various characteristics of the drug candidate. Hence the study design should start with a confirmatory step to determine if the primary objective is achieved and then followed by an exploratory step to learn from the study. This presentation discusses the stepwise process of study design, and provides examples of how this thinking process is applied in actual situations.
   Speaker:: Naitee Ting, PhD, Pfizer, Inc., Global Research and Development
   Location: LEPH Room 115, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT
   Contact: Laurie Mourao, laurie.mourao@yale.edu, (203) 785-2838
3. THIS WEEK! Working Group - Addiction, Mental Health and HIV/AIDS
   Topic: "Philosophical Underpinnings of Harm Reduction"
   03/28/07, 11:30A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
   Speaker(s):: Philip Alcabes, Associate Professor, Hunter College School of Health Sciences, New York, NY
   Sponsor(s): Yale University's Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics
   Location: 1st floor conference room, 87 Trumbull St., New Haven, CT
   Contact: For more information or luncheon reservations, please contact jonathan.moser@yale.edu.
4. THIS WEEK! The Bridgeport Community HIV Forum - "Crystal Meth and HIV"
   03/28/07, 12:30 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. (Lunch will be provided)
   Speaker(s): Gloria Searson, Advocacy Relations Manager, Manhattan & New England
   Sponsor(s): CT AIDS Education & Training Center (CAETC) and the Evergreen Network
   Location: First Baptist Church, Brown Room, 126 Washington Ave., Bridgeport, CT
   Contact: You must RSVP to be assured lunch: CAETC@yale.edu or (203) 737-2312 or to the Evergreen Network at 203-576-0677
5. NEW! THIS WEEK! Sociology Colloquium Series: “Why Cultural Match Matters: AIDS NGOs in Sub-Saharan Africa”
   03/29/07, 4:00 P.M. - 5:30 P.M.
   Speaker(s): Ann Swidler, University of California, Berkeley
   Location: 107 Williams Hall, 80 Sachem Street, New Haven
   Contact: The Sociology weekly Colloquia Series and updated information can be found on their website at http://www.yale.edu/sociology/colloquia/
6. NEW! The Hartford HIV Forum - “Resistance”
   04/10/07, 12:00 P.M. - 1:30 P.M., (Lunch will be provided)
   Speaker(s): Lisa Cruz, MPA, Community Liaison, Tibotec Therapeutics
   Sponsor: The Institute for Community Research (ICR) and The CT AIDS Education & Training Center (CAETC)
   Location: Institute for Community Research, 2 Hartford Square West, Suite 100, 146 Wyllys St., Hartford, CT. 06106. Free parking on Wyllys St.
   Contact: Please RSVP to: (860) 278-2044. For additional information, visit their website at: http://www.incommunityresearch.org
7. NEW! IEDEA (International Epidemiological Database to Evaluate AIDS
   This initiative will establish international regional centers for the collection and harmonization of data and the establishment of an international research consortium to address unique and evolving research questions in HIV/AIDS currently unanswerable by single cohorts. High quality data is being collected by researchers throughout the world. This initiative provides a means to establish and implement methodology to effectively pool the collected data­thus providing a cost effective means of generating large data sets to address the high priority research questions.
   For more information http://www.iedea-hiv.org/
8. A 24-hour, non-credit on-line course in HARM REDUCTION
   April 23 to June 15, 2007 (8 weeks) Deadline for early bird registration: 4/4/07
   The course designed to introduce service providers, administrators and policy makers to the basic principles, philosophy and application of Harm Reduction. This on-line course will be of value to a broad range of practitioners / service providers, administrators and policy advisors / analysts interested in gaining a better understanding of Harm Reduction and of how to implement Harm Reduction policy and practice within their organizations and communities.
   Sponsor(s): Professional Enrichment Program, The Division of Continuing Education, York University and the Faculty of Education, York University
   Contact: For more information: Marina DeBona-Ross, mdebona@yorku.ca, (416) 650-8049, Web site: http://www.canadianharmreduction.com.
   To register, visit: www.atkinson.yorku.ca/harmreduction
9. Arts and Public Health in Action: Study of HIV/AIDS in Swaziland
   Yale Summer Session class offered in Swaziland. Application deadline: April 2
   Faculty: Rebecca Rugg and Kaveh Khoshnood
   Theater practice and Epidemiology come together in partnership to provide a vital, hands-on intervention into the HIV/AIDS pandemic in southern Africa. We will travel to Swaziland to collaborate with local artists who are using theater as a mode of discourse in the fight against HIV/AIDS; under the guidance of master teacher Ntare Mwine we will conduct theater workshops with local secondary school students; we will work in the field with local NGOs. Over five weeks, this practical work will amplify and deepen our classroom study of theater as a mode of social and political intervention and of major topics on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In the final week of the course, we will travel to the Grahamstown Arts Festival in South Africa, where students will synthesize their learning through exposure to a wide array of African cultural production, evaluating how the work engages with the theories of art activism and public health we've studied. Through experiences in the classroom and in the field, students will arrive at deeply informed perspectives on the AIDS pandemic in southern Africa, and will gain an activated understanding of the issues in public health, as well as the possibilities for theatrical interventions.
   Contact: For more information and application details go to the Web site.