April 10th is National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

In the United States, 20% of new HIV diagnoses in 2020 were among young people aged 13-24. However, almost half of young people (aged 13-24) with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) do not know they have it. April 10 is National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD), a day to raise awareness about the impact of HIV on young people. Learn more about HIV & Youth and access resources for NYHAAD.

News from the CFAR

Dr. Dorothy Dow awarded 2022 Duke HIV/AIDS IRTPA T32 Outstanding Leadership in Scientific Mentoring Award

Duke's Interdisciplinary Research Training Program in AIDS (IRTPA) offers an opportunity for fellows to train for a career in the growing field of HIV/AIDS research. The training program is coordinated by Nathan Thielman, MD, MPH, and Guido Ferrari, MD and draws on resources at Duke and the Durham VA Medical Center. 

In partnership with the Duke School of Medicine and the Duke CFAR, the long-standing NIH T32 Duke IRTPA has recognized the outstanding and important leadership role of early career investigators in generating a scientifically rigorous and inclusive environment to mentor more junior scientists and colleagues, and supporting the innovation of their own research to advance scientific knowledge to improve human health.

This year, the program recognized Dorothy Dow, MD, MSc with the Outstanding Leadership in Scientific Mentoring Award. Dr. Dow is a physician-scientist whose research focuses on prevention and treatment of HIV in pediatric populations including prevention of mother-to-child transmission and adolescent and young adult populations. Her current projects target the intersection of HIV treatment adherence and mental health. Dr. Dow is also Co-Director of the CFAR Clinical Core.

The IRTPA team shared several quotes from others as part of the nomination process which exemplify Dr. Dow's commitment to mentorship and support of trainees:

“Dorothy has been an incredible example to me both as researcher and in her daily interactions with others. She exudes deep empathy, endless curiosity, and kindness"

“One of Dorothy's greatest assets is her willingness to share her time generously. She is endlessly busy but always makes time to listen and listen wholly.”

“In addition to providing superb guidance on issues related to my professional development, I know that [Dorothy] genuinely cares about my overall happiness and wellbeing.”

Congratulations to Dr. Dow!

Applications are now open for two IRTPA T32 appointments. See the Training Opportunities section below for more information.

Inter-CFAR HIV & Aging Working Group Virtual Seminar: Patterns, Predictors, & Mechanisms of Cognitive Dysfunction in People Aging with HIV

Monday, April 10th, 2023 | 12-1pm ET | Zoom

On behalf of the Inter-CFAR HIV & Aging Working Group led by the Emory and Miami CFARs, you are invited to attend a virtual seminar on Monday, April 10th at 12 PM EST. We are thrilled to welcome Leah Rubin, PhD, MPH (Johns Hopkins University) who will join us to discuss Patterns, Predictors, and Mechanisms of Cognitive Dysfunction in People Aging with HIV.  If you have questions regarding working group membership, please contact Rosie Plog.

Register for the webinar.

HANC Webinar: The NIH Grant Lifecycle Process: From Submission to Notice of Award (Part 1)

Wednesday, April 26th, 2023 | 2-3pm ET | Webinar

New Investigators Working Group Webinar Series: NIH Grant Lifecycle Process (Part 1)

Webinar Agenda

Introduction to NIH

• Institutes that support HIV research
• Who to contact at the NIH
• Introduction to the NIH grants process 

Before Applying: Navigating NIH Funding Opportunities

•  Understanding different Institutes’ missions and priorities
• Finding funding opportunities
• Grant mechanisms by career stage

Applying for a NIH Grant

• Eligibility for PIs and Institutions
• US vs International
• International funding opportunities

Register for the webinar.

7th International Conference on Retroviral Integration

July 31 - August 4, 2023 | Boulder Colorado

The 7th International Conference on Retroviral Integration will be held this summer in Boulder, Colorado (July 31 – August 4). An in-person format is expected to facilitate lively and productive exchange between participants. In addition to confirmed speakers, we will select short talks from submitted abstracts and award prizes for best poster presentations. We will follow the safety procedures mandated by the State of Colorado and implemented by the University of Colorado. All attendees are expected to be vaccinated against COVID.

Main topics:

• Structure and function of retroviral intasomes/preintegration complexes
• Host and viral factors in integration
• Nuclear import of HIV-1 cores/preintegration complexes 
• Integrase strand transfer inhibitors and drug resistance mechanisms 
• New antiretroviral compounds
• Integrase function during virion maturation
• Integration site selectivity, latency, and gene therapy
• Orthologous systems (retrotransposons; DNA transposons)

The deadlines for Registration and Abstract Submission are May 15.

We encourage participation of scientists from underrepresented ethnic and racial groups as well as individuals with disabilities. Please contact the conference organizers (retrointegration2023@cuanschutz.edu) as there may be some funds available to offset the costs of registration fees. 

We’ll hold a special session titled “Where do you see your future?” geared for postdocs and graduate students during which young investigators will ask questions related to their future career prospects to a panel of leading scientists from the pharmaceutical industry and academia. The session will be held on Wednesday, August 2 immediately after the dinner reception and we look forward to an informal, yet productive discussion. 

For any additional enquires please contact us at retrointegration2023@cuanschutz.edu

Learn more about the conference.

Applications for the Duke NIH Interdisciplinary Research Training Program in AIDS T32 due April 14th

We are pleased to announce that the Duke NIH Interdisciplinary Research Training Program in AIDS (IRTPA) T32 has two slots available for appointments starting no earlier than May 1^st, 2023, but no later than August 1^st, 2023. We are seeking outstanding postdoctoral (MD, PhD or MD/PhD) candidates performing basic, clinical or social and behavioral research related to HIV/AIDS. Salary support for the trainee is included in the fellowship, and the candidate must commit to at least one year of research under this program. There may be opportunity for T32 support beyond one year; however, please make candidates aware of the NIH payback obligation policy. Applicants need to be US citizens/permanent residents.

Research plans of up to three years are encouraged. Please forward this email to interested candidates.  All potential candidates should email their completed application form (attached) along with required documents, including the applicant’s NIH biosketch, 3 references, and letter of support from the faculty mentor to Melissa Kerkau (melissa.kerkau@duke.edu) by Friday, April 14^th, 2023  with the following phrase “IRTPA T32 application” in the subject heading for the email. The required research summary should be no more than 4 pages in length (references do not count toward the page limit) and follow NIH grant format (Abstract, Specific Aims, and Research Strategy (including Hypotheses, Significance, Innovation, Approach, Data Analysis, Timeline). 

An email with the application form was sent to the CFAR listserv last week. Please contact Melissa Kerkau with any questions.

Virtual 31st Annual Principles of STI/HIV Research and Public Health Practice Course

July 10 - July 21, 2023

Join the University of Washington/Fred Hutch CFAR and other sponsors for 2 weeks of cross-disciplinary training in STI and HIV research and public health practice using teaching pedagogy tailored to the virtual environment

• State-of-the-art training to develop strategies to End the HIV Epidemic and achieve PEPFAR priorities
• Cutting-edge content delivered by US and global expert faculty lecturers
• Opportunities to build networks with faculty and student colleagues
• Virtual field trips to global health, community-based, and public health organizations in Seattle

In this course, you will gain a practically-oriented overview of the latest in behavioral, clinical, epidemiological, statistical, operational, and pathogenesis research in STI and HIV. This is a unique opportunity for graduate students, trainees, and early career STI/HIV researchers to learn from and network with expert faculty and colleagues from around the world through lectures, interactive learning sessions, social events, and virtual field trips.

Learn more and apply.

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