Training Program for Scientists Conducting Research to Reduce HIV/STI Health Disparities

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Visiting Professors at CAPS, Summer 2011


Why this program?

The CAPS Training Program for Scientists Conducting Research to Reduce HIV/STI Health Disparities is designed to assist investigators already conducting HIV-prevention research with ethnic minority communities to improve their programs of research and obtain additional funding for their work. The goals of the program are:

  • To increase the quantity and quality of HIV prevention research targeting vulnerable ethnic minority populations.
  • To develop theory-based, culture-specific research methods for effective HIV prevention interventions.
  • To increase the number of minority group members among principal investigators funded by the NIH, CDC and other agencies.

    “Every aspect of my experience in the Visiting Professors program was extraordinarily helpful. The faculty at CAPS has vision and a deep sense of commitment to work with the Visiting Professors. The breadth of scholarly expertise in HIV and AIDS prevention along with a caring work ethic were core elements of the program.” -2006 Visiting Professor


Who should apply?

The Training Program for Scientists Conducting Research to Reduce HIV/STI Health Disparities program is designed for scientists in tenure-track positions or investigators in research institutes who have not yet obtained RO1 funding from the NIH or equivalent funding from another agency. We seek scientists conducting theory-driven, culturally specific HIV prevention research with minority communities.

Criteria that are required for the selection of scientists for this program:

1. Administrative Criteria

To be eligible for the program, the applicant must:

  • Be a US citizen or permanent resident.
  • Be affiliated with an institution which is eligible to receive federal money.
  • Be eligible to be a Principal Investigator at their home institution.
  • Not have received NIH funding as the Principal Investigator of a funded R01 grant.
  • Not have delinquent student loans.

2. Program Criteria

Required: To be selected for the program, the applicant must demonstrate:

  • A commitment to social and behavioral HIV research.
  • Experience conducting research and publishing scientific manuscripts.

Preferred: Applicants should also demonstrate the following qualifications:

  • Experience conducting research in one or more of the following areas: HIV, substance use, mental health, and structural factors affecting health.
  • Experience conducting research in communities and with community based organizations targeting populations with high levels of health disparities (e.g., racial and ethnic minority communities, communities with a high proportion of disadvantaged or disabled persons).
  • History of obtaining funding for HIV research (e.g., small or exploratory grants, including state, local, and university grants).

What application materials are required?

Applications must be complete and received in full by the program application due date. The strength of applications will also be evaluated based on the following materials:

  • A statement of research program, including a creative, innovative and rigorous plan for a pilot study funded by the program to serve as a preliminary study for a subsequent larger grant proposal to NIH or other suitable funding agency.
  • A description of previous theoretical training, qualitative and quantitative research methods training, and qualitative and quantitative software and analysis training.
  • A current CV that includes a list of publications and grants awarded.
  • Three letters of recommendation must be received by the program application due date.
  • A letter of institutional support from the applicant’s home institution (e.g., time off for research, seed money, and administrative and/or research assistant) must be received by the program application due date.

What commitment do applicants make to the program?

  1. Applicants must commit to attend the full program each summer without absences.
  2. Applicants must commit to complete yearly evaluation forms and return them to the program coordinator.
  3. Applicants must commit to provide the program office with career development information following their completion of the program, at a minimum by submitting an updated CV each year that includes grant awards and publications.
  4. Applicants must commit to crediting the VP grant in publications resulting from the utilization of resources of the VP program by including the NIH Funding acknowledgment and complying with the NIH Public Access Policy.
  5. Applicants must commit to spending 25% of their time annually on research.

Program activities

Each year a small number of scientists will be selected to develop an ethnic minority-focused HIV-prevention research project. Each scientist will work with CAPS investigators to develop a specific program of research tailored to his or her research interest. During the program scientists will:

  • Spend six weeks in San Francisco for three summers.
  • Receive a monthly stipend for living expenses (each summer) and round-trip airfare to San Francisco.
  • Receive up to $25,000 to conduct preliminary research before the second summer, to strengthen an investigator-initiated RO1 application.
  • Design appropriate initial studies.
  • Analyze and write up data from these studies.
  • Plan subsequent research.
  • Apply for funding for their research program.
  • Respond to review committee comments on their application.

To learn more about how the program works, please see the Program Overview and a listing of Summer Program Seminars.

How to apply

Applications for the Summer Program are typically made available in the fall, and are due in January. However, with the number of current participants, the program will be at capacity during the summer 2013 summer program with just those program participants who are currently enrolled. Because we do not have capacity to serve a greater number of visiting professors, we will not have an application available this fall/winter.

We recognize that this may be disappointing to those for whom this program would be a unique career development resource. We are laying plans for the continuation of the program and for accepting new applicants in future years.

Meet the Visiting Professors

This training program has collaborated with 55 Visiting Professors: Sheldon Applewhite, Sonya Arreola, George Ayala, Marlon M. Bailey, Faye Belgrave, Gauri Bhattacharya, Jason Bird, Loida Bonney, Alida Bouris, Lisa Bowleg, Deborah Brome, Emma J. Brown, Hector Carrillo, Angela Chia-Chen Chen, John Chin, Maya Corneille, Judith Cornelius, Stacey Daughters, Lauren Durant, Sonja Feist-Price, Sheldon Fields, Larry Gant, Dorie Gilbert, Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, Naomi M. Hall-Byers, Kim Jacob-Arriola, David Malebranche, Wende Marshall, Robert Miller, LaRon Nelson, Carolette Norwood, Don Operario, Kurt Organista, Blanca Ortíz-Torres, Mark Padilla, David Perez-Jimenez, Latrice Pichon, Jesus Ramirez-Valles, Rocio Rivedeneyra, Lynn Roberts, Laura Romo, Fred Ssewamala, Lois Takahashi, Michelle Teti, Nelson Varas-Diaz, Dexter Voisin, Scyatta Wallace, T. Alex Washington, Celeste Watkins, Darrell Wheeler, Eric Whitaker, Leo Wilton, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Sinead Younge and Maria Cecilia Zea.

Learn more about the Visiting Professors.

Comments from participants

“One of the best experiences of my professional training. The faculty is extremely knowledgeable about scientific research, publishing and the whole grant writing and review process… something critical for any junior faculty like me. Moreover, the relationships formed between the VP and their Mentor last forever. I am getting way much more out of the program than I expected!”

“The VP program is a home away from home. The faculty have always been very encouraging and supportive of my ideas and research goals. They provided advice about the nuts and bolts of putting together a successful research plan, as well as offered their wisdom on how to navigate life as successful independent researcher. I’ve got the grants but more importantly I have colleagues and friends I can call upon for a lifetime. Anyone looking to be a successful HIV prevention researcher in communities of color would benefit greatly from the program.”

What have we accomplished?

CAPS is a leader in HIV-prevention research in minority communities. The unique contribution of this training program is in providing investigators with access to the technical assistance of a team of collaborators who are both successful researchers and knowledgeable about the issues of doing HIV prevention research with minority communities.

Directors: Tor Neilands, PhD (Quantitative Methods, Social Psychology), Diane Binson, PhD (Research Methods, Sociology), and Marguerita Lightfoot, PhD (Counseling Psychology)

Co-Investigators: Judith Barker, PhD (Medical Anthropology), Cherrie Boyer, PhD (Psychology), and James L. Sorensen, PhD (Substance Use)

Affiliated faculty: Olga Grinstead Reznick, PhD, MPH (Clinical Psychology, Public Health)

For more information, please contact:

Dale Danley
Program Coordinator
50 Beale Street, Suite 1300
San Francisco, CA 94105
tel: (415) 597-9139
e-mail: dale.danley@ucsf.edu

Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Last modified: November 9, 2012