Current Research > CAPS Mission > Technology and Information Exchange (TIE) Core

Technology and Information Exchange (TIE) Core

TIE Core (from left): Pamela DeCarlo, Marguerita Lightfoot, Marliese Warren, Cristina Delgado, Carolyn Hunt, Debra Allen

The TIE Core helps apply HIV prevention research to practice, and helps integrate community experience into HIV prevention science via three mechanisms:

• Information Dissemination
• Technical Assistance to CBOs and scientists and
• Community Collaborative Research Support

CAPS researchers and staff: What can we do for you?

Dissemination

The TIE Core has pioneered some of the most innovative research synthesis methods and dissemination vehicles for HIV prevention in the US. Please use the METRO online request system to contact Pamela DeCarlo for assistance or consultation.

• CAPS HIV Prevention Fact Sheets.
• CAPS Website.
• Science-to-Community reports. These four-page descriptions of CAPS research projects are geared towards research participants and community agencies.
• Research Portfolio. A compendium of one-page summaries of all current CAPS research projects.
• CAPS conference. The TIE Core manages the bi-annual CAPS Conference. The next conference will take place April 2008.
• Writing retreats for CAPS scientists and staff.

Technical Assistance

We provide TA--the transfer of information or knowledge in response to a specific time-limited need--to help providers integrate HIV prevention research into programs, and help scientists connect with community groups. Please use the METRO online request system to contact Carolyn Hunt for assistance or consultation.

• Responding to TA requests
• Spanish Language Initiative (SLI)
• Community Advisory Board
• Community input to CAPS' peer review. CAB members participate in peer review of CAPS proposals and manuscripts. Additionally, the TIE Core solicits appropriate community members to attend selected peer reviews as requested by researchers.
• Community Town Halls.
• Training researchers to use community expertise. TIE Core staff conduct trainings with TAPS fellows, Visiting Professors in the Collaborative Research in Minority Communities program and International TAPS fellows on effectively partnering with community providers, including community input and disseminating to a community audience.

Community collaborative research

The TIE Core serves as a model of information-exchange and science-community collaboration in HIV prevention. The TIE Core model for science-community collaboration has been replicated nationally and internationally. Contact Olga Grinstead for assistance or consultation.

• Evaluating the process of community collaborative research. TIE Core staff has conducted research and disseminated lessons learned from developing the consortium model for community collaborative research.
  • The Legacy Project was a qualitative study analyzing our18 collaborative research projects to determine what contributed to successful evaluation and improved research capacity within the CBO partner.
  • The Implicit Theory Project was a qualitative study that assessed the underlying ideas of risk and behavior change held by front-line HIV prevention staff. See the article in AIDS Education and Prevention.
  • The Collaborative Data Analysis Project was a study of the process of analyzing data in collaboration with community providers.
• Collaborative research manual. We authored and published Working Together, a guide to collaborative research. This manual presents the best practices on conducting community collaborative research. It gives advice on working through all aspects of a research project, from designing a research question to analyzing data and disseminating findings.
• Facilitating collaborative relationships. We regularly receive requests from CAPS researchers looking for CAB members or community research partners and from CBOs looking for input or partnership from CAPS researchers.

What can we do for you?

• Promote your research
  • Web page for your project
  • Consultation on dissemination plan
  • Science-to-Community report
  • Support presenting at community agencies and events
• Get published
  • Writing retreats
• Get funded
• Grant language for dissemination, community involvement
• Engage the community
  • Consultation on collaboration, recruitment, etc
  • Presentation of your research to the CAB
  • Post recruitment info on CAPS website

TIE Core staff

• Director: Marguerita Lightfoot 597-4972
• Dissemination Manager: Pamela DeCarlo 597-9360
• TA Manager: Carolyn Hunt 597-9110
• TA Specialist: Marliese Warren 597-4995
• Community/Research Liaison: Debra Allen 597-4979
• Project Assistant: Cristina Delgado 597-4662