Happy Holidays from the Duke CFAR

The Duke CFAR sends you and your loved ones warm wishes for a joyous, restful, and healthy holiday season. We are thankful for all of the hard work, growth, and success in 2023 and look forward to the new year!

News from the CFAR

Dr. Nwora Lance Okeke Honored with 2023 HIVMA Innovator Award for Pioneering Work in HIV Science and Education

Congratulations to Nwora Lance Okeke, MD, MPH for receiving the 2023 HIVMA Innovative Leader Award. Dr. Okeke, an Associate Director of the CFAR, was recognized by the HIV Medicine Association during IDWeek 2023 for his contributions to advancing the field through his productive research portfolio and innovative and transformative delivery of care to people with HIV.

The Innovator Award recognizes HIVMA members in early or mid-career who have made outstanding and original contributions to HIV medicine in clinical care, provider education, research or advocacy. Dr. Okeke — an assistant professor of medicine in infectious diseases and population health sciences at Duke University School of Medicine — leads a growing research program focused on optimizing the HIV care continuum, from prevention to comorbidity management using contemporary data and implementation science-informed approaches. 

To date, Dr. Okeke’s work has yielded more than 55 peer-reviewed publications. He is currently the co-principal investigator on a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-funded research initiative that seeks to use electronic health record-based predictive modeling to identify persons who would most benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis in the Deep South.

In addition to his research, he also serves as the current vice chief of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Duke Division of Infectious Diseases and associate director of the Duke Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program. In these roles, he has developed a number of innovative educational initiatives to promote the delivery of equitable care in the field of infectious diseases. One of his projects is the HIV Clinical Practice Fellowship Quality Improvement Initiative, which provides a platform for infectious diseases fellows to use data-driven approaches to identify and address health inequities in HIV care at Duke. Dr. Okeke is also the founding director of the Evidence2Practice initiative, an innovative program that promotes careers in HIV science to students at historically Black colleges and universities by highlighting HIV-related implementation research. The program has held interactive three-day workshops at 10 HBCUs across the South to date. 

HIVMA is proud to recognize Dr. Okeke’s innovative work in research and education with the 2023 Innovator Award, and the Duke CFAR congratulates Dr. Okeke on this well-deserved award!

Read more about the award.

Dr. Chris Beyrer named an Outstanding Ally in Advancing Scientific Advocacy for Work on Gay Men's Health

Chris Beyrer, M.D., director of the Duke Global Health Institute, an Associate Director of the CFAR, and an internationally recognized researcher on HIV prevention and treatment, has been named an Outstanding Ally in Advancing Scientific Advocacy for his work to improve the health and human rights of gay men in Africa. 

The award, given by Global Black Gay Men Connect Africa (GBGMC), recognizes Beyrer’s HIV research in Africa, as well as his efforts to promote equality and human rights for LGBTQ communities in African countries. The award was presented at the GBGMC Africa men’s health conference on Dec. 8 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

 “Your exceptional dedication to advancing scientific advocacy for GBMSM (Gay, Bisexual, and other Men who have Sex with Men) communities in Africa has not gone unnoticed,” Micheal Ighodaro, a representative of GBGMC, wrote in an email to Beyrer announcing the award. “Your tireless efforts in promoting research, evidence-based policies, and support for the health and well-being of GBMSM individuals have significantly impacted the lives of many.”

Beyrer has led collaborative research on HIV epidemiology, prevention and treatment in Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia for more than 30 years. He is past president of the International AIDS Society, the world’s largest body of HIV professionals, and currently serves as an advisor to the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, the World Health Organization, and Physicians for Human Rights. 

Beyrer says he is overjoyed by the progress in HIV prevention over the past few decades. He recalls working to gather data on HIV in African countries 15 years ago, a time when many government officials denied that any gay people lived in their countries. But the bravery and advocacy of gay rights community groups helped push the agenda, gaining greater recognition for both HIV prevention and other issues facing gay Africans. 

“The award is important for the scientific and epidemiologic work that we had to do to be recognized. It gives us the legitimacy to continue the work that we have been doing. There was a real dearth of evidence of what was happening to these men in their communities, but we are now past that,” Beyrer says. 

Despite the improvement in gay rights in many African countries, serious challenges are continuing to merge, Beyrer says. He notes the draconian laws criminalizing homosexual activity that were recently passed in Uganda.

Beyrer pledges to continue to support networks that are working on advancing healthcare access for the communities. More collaborative work needs to be done, he notes, as success can only be achieved by involving community groups in the advocacy.

The Duke CFAR congratulates Dr. Beyrer on this award and thanks him for his dedication to human rights and advancing the wellbeing of GBMSM individuals globally.

Read more about the recognition.

Webinar: Designing and Conducting Focus Groups in Implementation Research

Thursday, December 21, 2023 | 12-1:30pm EST| Zoom

The UCLA Rapid, Rigorous, Relevant (3R) Implementation Science Hub invites you to join an upcoming Implementation Science Methods Workshop on Designing and Conducting Focus Groups in Implementation Research with Drs. Alison Hamilton and Erin Finley. During this workshop, Drs. Hamilton and Finley will:

• Review the value of focus groups in dissemination and implementation (D&I) science.
• Discuss how to design focus group guides using constructs from D&I models and frameworks.
• Share approaches for prioritizing questions to achieve project goals.
• Highlight common focus group challenges and strategies for addressing them.

Register for the workshop.

Rustbelt CFAR SWG Webinar: Drug-drug Interactions between Hormones and Antiretrovirals

Thursday, December 21, 2023 | 4pm EST | Teams

The Sex and Gender Scientific Working Group of the Rustbelt Center for AIDS Research 

is excited to invite you to a presentation by Dr. Kimberly Scarsi, PharmD, MS, FCCP:

"Drug-drug interactions between hormones and antiretrovirals"

Kimberly Scarsi, PharmD, MS, FCCP is a Professor and the Vice Chair of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), with appointments in both the College of Pharmacy and College of Medicine. Dr. Scarsi’s research program focuses on optimizing pharmacologic therapies for persons living with HIV, with an emphasis on global health and sex/gender related issues.

Join the Microsoft Teams meeting on your computer, mobile app or room device:

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 298 782 692 259

Passcode: MNW6vE

Download Teams | Join on the web

Quantitative Methods for HIV Researchers:

Part II Statistics Workshops from the QS Core - Register by January 15

Mondays in January & February 2024 | 1-4pm EST| Hock Plaza

Registration is open for Statistics Workshops, Part II of the 3-part series of FREE workshops designed to provide HIV researchers with the quantitative skills necessary for analysis of large, complex data sets resulting from assays such as single-cell RNA-seq, flow cytometry, fMRI, etc. Each part of the series consists of 6 once-a-week workshops held on Mondays from 1-4PM. Completion of Part I-Data Science Workshops or prior knowledge/ competency in R is required to attend. Register by January 15, 2024

Part II: Statistics Workshops (must commit to attend all 6)

• Day 1 - Breakdown of an Experiment - Mon, Jan 22
• Day 2 - Probability, Distributions, and Confidence Intervals - Mon, Jan 29
• Day 3 - Hypothesis Testing and Power/Sample Size - Mon, Feb 5
• Day 4 - Linear regression, categorical predictors, interaction effect - Mon, Feb 12
• Day 5 - Logistic regression and classification models - Mon, Feb 19
• Day 6 - High-dimensional predictive models, cross-validation - Mon, Feb 26

Learn more and register for the workshops.

Upcoming Abstract Submission Deadlines

CROI 2024 | March 3-6, 2024 | Denver, CO

The 31st CROI Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), held from March 3 to 6, 2024, is planned as an in-person conference at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. The best and most consequential original research on HIV and related conditions will define the science at the conference. CROI 2024 will also accept important new findings on SARS-CoV-2 and the mpox virus. The in-person conference will also feature innovative interactive sessions, rich poster sessions, and networking opportunities.

Late-Breaking abstract submission deadline is January 9, 2024.

Early registration for the conference will go through January 24, 2024.

IAPAC Continuum 2024 | June 9-11, 2024 | Puerto Rico

The Continuum 2024 conference will take place June 9-11, 2024, at El Conquistador in Puerto Rico. Hosted by the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), this annual series of conferences features the presentation and discussion of HIV treatment and biomedical prevention adherence research, and current behavioral and clinical perspectives in practicum, within the context of optimizing the continuum of HIV care and prevention.

Abstract Submission deadline is February 16, 2024.

Early bird registration for the conference will go through February 29, 2024. 

AIDS 2024 | July 22-26, 2024 | Munich, Germany

AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, will take place in Munich, Germany, and virtually from 22 to 26 July 2024. An estimated 15,000 participants from around the world will attend AIDS 2024, and the great majority will do so in person. AIDS 2024 will convene thousands of people living with, affected by and working on HIV to share knowledge, best practices and lessons learnt from the HIV response over the past 40 years, as well as from the responses to COVID-19, mpox and other public health threats.

Abstract submission deadline is January 23, 2024.

Early bird registration for the conference will go through February 20, 2024.

NIDA HIV Seminar Series: Integrating Addiction and HIV Prevention and Treatment for Everyone and Bringing it to Where They Live

Wednesday, January 24, 2024 | 1pm EST | Zoom

Join the NIDA HIV Research Program for the upcoming NIDA HIV Seminar with Dr. Sandra Springer of Yale School of Medicine, 2022 recipient of the NIDA HIV Avant-Garde Award, for her presentation "Integrating Addiction and HIV Prevention and Treatment for Everyone and Bringing it to Where They Live."

Sandra Springer, M.D., is a Professor of Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. Her research integrates aspects of substance use and infectious diseases, with a focus on opioid use disorder treatment and the treatment and prevention of HIV among people with carceral experience.

Register for the webinar.

CERI Examples from the Field: Barbers, Beauticians and Researchers Uniting to Improve Community Health

Friday, January 26, 2024 | 12-1pm EST | Zoom

The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute's Community Engaged Research

Initiative (CERI) presents Examples From the Field for clinicians, researchers, research support staff, public health practitioners, and the community.

Barbers, Beauticians, and Researchers Uniting to Improve Community Health

Panelists:

Dr. Schenita Davis Randolph, Associate Professor in the Duke School of Nursing and Director of the Duke University HEEAT Research Lab

Dr. Craig Scott Fryer, Associate Professor and Interim Chair, Behavioral and Community Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health

Moderator: Chiquitta Lesene, CEO, Shackle Free Community Outreach Agency

From this webinar you will learn about:

• The role of barber and beautician communities in fostering health equity through collaborations with academic researchers.
• Successful examples of community-engaged research initiatives involving barber and beautician networks.
• Strategies for building effective partnerships between researchers, healthcare providers, and barber/beautician professionals.
• Challenges and opportunities in advancing health equity through collaborative efforts.

Learn more and register for the Zoom.

RAMP Scholar Grant Applications for BIPOC Medical Students due January 2

Seeking African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Islander medical students interested in HIV vaccine research. The development of a safe and effective HIV vaccine is one of the greatest biomedical research challenges of our time. The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) is now accepting applications for Research and Mentorship Program (RAMP) Scholar Grants to attract Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC) medical students who want to make a difference in their communities and contribute to the development of an effective HIV vaccine.

Program Highlights

• 8 -10 week or 9 -12-month research projects in the areas of clinical, laboratory, or social-behavioral research
• Structured mentorship by HVTN investigator(s)
• Travel to an HIV Vaccine Clinical Research Site in the US or abroad
• Attendance at an HVTN Full Group Meeting
• Oral and poster presentations and potential for publication
• Opportunity to return as a RAMP Alumni

Application deadline: Tuesday, January 2, 2024  

Learn more on the CFAR website.

Applications for Duke Quantitative Methods in HIV/AIDS Summer Internship due January 7

The Duke Quantitative Methods in HIV/AIDS training grant is again offering paid internships for Summer 2024. We are seeking graduate students in quantitative disciplines, including but not restricted to mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science and engineering, to conduct HIV/AIDS research. Interns will be jointly mentored by an HIV research scientist and a quantitative faculty member, and will gain hands-on team science experience among some of the leading research groups in HIV/AIDS. Please share this information with anyone who might be interested.

Internship Details

• Up to 10 summer internships available in Summer 2024: May 20 – August 9 (12 weeks)
• Multi-year internships are possible
• Interns will be provided a stipend of $21 per hour (up to a maximum of 40 hours per week) for their participation (unless forbidden by NIH- e.g., T32 recipients)
• Funding is available for interns to present a poster or talk at a national or international conference
• All interns are required to attend weekly internship meetings in person.
• Click here for examples of projects that interns worked on in past years.

Applications should be received by Saturday, January 7, 2024 for priority consideration.

Learn more about the program and application.

Read reflections from 2022 and 2023 summer interns.

RFA for the HIV/Aging Pilot Program - Concept proposals due January 12

The HIV & Aging Research Consortium (HARC) has released its 2024 pilot funding call and will fund 2-4 pilot projects, at $40,000 each, focusing the application of geroscience to better understand aging in people with HIV (PWH). These are intended to be one-year pilot grants.

Pilot applications are welcome from (a) faculty investigators who have not yet had an R01 or other substantial NIH funding (i.e., new investigators by NIH definitions) or (b) Geroscience faculty investigators at any rank who are new to HIV research. Post-doctoral fellows are NOT eligible unless they will be a faculty member on or before July 1 2024. Ideal candidates plan to use their study to leverage funding for an NIH new investigator award. All applicants must have a collaborator or mentor from one of the participating centers (NSC, MBI, OAIC, or CFAR), and all applications must include at least one investigator from both HIV and Geroscience.

We are particularly interested in studies that: (a) utilize OAIC, MBI, NSC, CFAR or CNICS specimens and/or databases; (b) receive support from their local OAIC, MBI, NSC, or CFAR in the form of matched funding, covered indirect costs, or core facility support; and (c) include more established aging investigators that do not have prior HIV funding, but would like to expand into HIV-Aging research.

Key dates

Concept proposals due: January 12, 2024

Invitation for full proposals: January 29, 2024

Full proposals due: March 29, 2024

Estimated award notification date: April 26, 2024

Learn more and read the RFA.

New NIH & CDC Funding Opportunities and Programs

The NIAID New Innovator Award program (DP2) website is now live, with profiles and RePORTER links for each awardee. The program seeks applications from individuals with ESI status who are in postdoctoral or other non-independent positions, or who are within the first year of an independent position. Similar to the Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, the NIAID New Innovator program supports creative, original and insightful research concepts from exceptionally talented ESIs who are in postdoctoral, non-independent, or newly independent research positions. The next opportunity for ESIs to apply will be October 11, 2024. See the current PAR-23-198 for more information.

Opportunities for HIV Cure Strategies at the Time of ART Initiation (R01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed) and Opportunities for HIV Cure Strategies at the Time of ART Initiation (R21, Clinical Trial Not Allowed) - The purpose of these Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to identify cure strategies suitable for administration at the start of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and/or at cART restart after an analytical treatment interruption (ATI), with the ultimate goal of achieving sustained treatment-free remission.

Translational Research Toward Development of a Kaposi Sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV) Vaccine (U01 Clinical Trial Optional) - Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute intends to support basic and translational research that will guide the development of a prophylactic or therapeutic Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) vaccine.

Addressing the Impact of Syndemics on the Health of People with HIV and Diseases and Conditions within the Missions of NIDDK and NHLBI (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) - This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites research projects that seek solutions to the development, exacerbation, and ineffective management of co-occurring conditions in marginalized communities of People with HIV (PWH). Projects must be based on a syndemics (synergistic epidemic) framework with a focus on the impact of racism, marginalization, discrimination, and/or stigma and their inter-relationships with social and structural risks. Projects may use mechanistic interventional approaches, policy/program evaluation studies, or epidemiology studies that build the evidence base to support improved equity and outcomes. 

The CDC Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) PS24-063: Improving the Quality of Life of People with HIV Aged 50 Years and Older in the United States - The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support investigator-driven research that invites recipients to explore and identify factors related to quality of life (QOL) for persons with HIV aged 50 years and older (PWH50+). The recipient will conceive, design, develop, direct, and conduct formative qualitative and mixed method research to explore factors that impact QOL for PWH50+, translate findings into strategies to improve QOL for PWH50+, assess strategies for acceptability with PWH50+ and/or their HIV service providers, and disseminate findings to organizations and partners serving PWH50+. Findings from this NOFO research are expected to contribute towards improving quality of life for people with HIV and are aligned with the HIV National Strategic Plan (2022-2025) and the goals of the national Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative “Treat” Pillar.

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