NIMH Multisite Acute HIV Infection Study

In 2005, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) brought together its six HIV prevention centers, including CIRA, to conduct the NIMH Multisite Acute HIV Infection Study, which aimed to understand the social and psychological context of acute HIV infection. Last month the results of the study were published as a series of five articles in the journal AIDS and Behavior and are available electronically.

The CIRA portion of the multisite study, 'Understanding the Social and Psychological Context of Acute Infection: Yale-Brown Collaboration' has additionally resulted in an article in the June 2009 journal of Connecticut Medicine titled 'Diagnosis of Acute HIV Infection in Connecticut'. The article was authored by CIRA affiliated scientist Robert Dubrow, M.D. and his colleagues.

CIRA Sponsored Seminars and Meetings

1. There are currently no CIRA sponsored events.

General Announcements

1. NEW! Highly Innovative Tactics to Interrupt Transmission of HIV (HIT-IT) (R01) (RFA-AI-09-037)
   
   Due Date: November 3rd, 2009
   Expiration Date: November 4th, 2009
   This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), solicits Research Project Grant (R01) applications from institutions/organizations that aim to stimulate the discovery, design and early preclinical evaluation of highly innovative, risky but rational approaches that could provide long-term protection from acquiring HIV infection. Recent setbacks in the vaccine and other biomedical prevention fields have raised several questions leading to increased interest for additional alternative track and untested “outside-the-box” approaches, highlighting the need for new and innovative paradigms for discovering and developing fresh prevention strategies. The proposed work is expected to explore novel hypotheses or address difficult problems, the solutions to which could have a significant impact on finding methods to interrupt HIV transmission.
   Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
   Contact: For more information, please go to: to http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-09-037.html
2. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evaluation Fellowship Program
   
   During the one-year fellowship, non-profit professionals will be trained in evaluation methodology while working on a real-world evaluation project for their employer. The program's goal is to help nonprofit professionals become better internal evaluators of their programs and better consumers of information for decision-making. The program also aims to equip participants with evaluation skills that will help enhance the evaluation capacity of their organizations. Ultimately the program seeks to infuse the evaluation field with well-trained individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to meet the increasing diversity of programs and communities that the profession serves.
   Contact: For more information including registration deadline and eligibility requirements, please see http://www.rwjf-evaluationfellows.org/fellows.
3. CFAR SBSRN 4th National Scientific Meeting
   
   Date/Time: 10/01/09-10/02/09
   The Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Network (SBSRN) is intended to link the 20 Centers for AIDS Research (CFARs) and fellow behavioral scientists/researchers in the field funded by the NIH in the United States. The SBSRN is intended to 1) initiate mechanisms to encourage sharing resources; 2) to host an annual scientific meeting; 3) to provide a forum for a national mentoring program for junior and translational investigators, and 4) to promote collaborative multi-site research. This meeting is open to CFAR investigators and affiliates as well as all interested academic, public health and community members.
   Sponsors: Harvard University Center for AIDS Research and the Lifespan/Tufts/Brown Center for AIDS Research
   Location: Courtyard Boston Brookline, 40 Webster St, Coolidge Corner, Brookline, MA 02446
   Contact: For more information on the meeting including registration fees and schedule, please go to https://regstg.com/Registration/Introduction.aspx?rid=2e25e176-5f1c-4ae0-87af-5feaacf70e68.