Hot off the press: CFAR Administrative Supplements

NIAID invites supplemental applications from currently funded CFARs in four areas:

• Formative, intervention, and implementation research to explore delivery of long-acting PrEP in populations who may benefit
• HIV and co-morbidities: Identification of mechanisms and strategies for optimal care that also reduce disparities 
• Community-led research topic  
• CFAR Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pathway Initiative (CDEIPI)

Full applications are due April 17th, and our CFAR is limited in the number of applications we can submit. If you are interested in submitting, please send a brief (no more than one-page) summary of your proposal to Mary Oris by Monday, March 6th.

Learn more in the funding section below or on our website.

News from the CFAR

CFAR trainees present findings from CFAR-funded project at CROI

Niehaus, Kohler, and Woodhouse pose at the poster session

The 30th Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) was held February 19-22 in Seattle, Washington and virtually. Established in 1993, CROI brings together basic scientists and clinical investigators to discuss the epidemiology and biology of human retroviruses and associated diseases. In addition to the latest science related to HIV, this year’s program also featured new findings on SARS-CoV-2 and the mpox virus (formerly known as monkeypox).

CROI has long been an opportunity for CFAR members, especially trainees, to present their work. Through a targeted small grant mechanism created in response to the emerging mpox outbreak, the Duke CFAR was able to support an innovative project to engage an entire class of first-year adult Infectious Disease fellows in a study examining testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among people tested for mpox and health disparities in mpox vaccination. This project provided the fellows an early experience working in HIV-related clinical research and exposure to team science. Emily Niehaus, MD, MPH and E. Wilbur Woodhouse, MD, MPH, two first-year Infectious Disease fellows, a team led by second-year fellow Ahmad Mourad, MD that includes Naseem Alavian, MD, MPH, Steve Pappas, MD, Hayley Cunningham, MD, Sofia Zavala, MD, MS-GH, Patricia Kohler, NP, Gary Cox, MD, Kristen Dicks, MD, MPH, Nwora Lance Okeke, MD, MPH, Michael Yarrington, MD, MMSCi, Cameron Wolfe, MD, MPH, and Jason Stout, MD, MHS.

Woodhouse shakes hands with Dr. Anthony Fauci

Identifying disparities in mpox vaccination in a Southeastern academic HIV clinical practice

The United States began deploying a two-dose vaccine series for mpox prevention in mid-2022 to address the global outbreak of mpox. The outbreak has disproportionately affected persons with HIV; according to HIV.gov, “current data suggest that about 40% of people diagnosed with mpox in the United States also have HIV.” Barriers to healthcare, including structural racism and insurance coverage, may impede equitable vaccine distribution among those considered most at risk of acquiring the mpox virus.

Woodhouse et al. describe their review of the Duke electronic medical record to evaluate vaccination disparities by race, insurance, and mpox risk. They identified 2,066 people with HIV (PWH) who attended their clinic between July 2021 and November 2022, and highlighted “high risk” patients for acquiring mpox if they tested positive for gonorrhea or chlamydia, or had antibodies to syphilis during this period. Of the 2,066 PWH identified, just over 10% had received at least one dose of vaccine for mpox. Patients who were white, had private insurance, or were at high-risk for acquiring mpox had higher odds of receiving a vaccine for mpox. However, even among the “high-risk” group fewer than 50% were vaccinated. Their findings reinforce the urgency of efforts to reduce racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities with equitable access to vaccination, particularly in the setting of rapidly evolving public health emergencies, and also the need for more coordinated vaccine tracking between health systems and state and local health departments.

“We wanted to take a look at our own vaccine delivery efforts, highlighting best practices that could be expanded and replicated, as well describe any shortcomings so we could improve in future efforts,” Woodhouse explained. Reflecting on the impact of this research opportunity in shaping his training, he shared, “This effort has been a great chance for us to both address an area of need in our own clinic population, while also gaining experience helping people with HIV and mpox. I am grateful that CFAR and the ID faculty have made it possible to get involved with this clinical research so early in my career.”

Concurrent STI testing among patients tested for mpox at Duke University Healthcare System

Given the high occurrence of co-infection with STIs and mpox observed during the 2022 mpox outbreak, comprehensive testing for incident STIs, including HIV, should be performed alongside mpox testing. However, actual practice of testing in routine practice was unknown. Niehaus et al. reviewed medical records to identify patients who tested for mpox in the Duke Health System and assessed concurrent STI testing during the same encounter using laboratory data. Between July and November 2022, 225 patients tested for mpox. The majority of these patients were male (71%) and non-Hispanic (81%). 42% were Black or African American, and 15% had a known diagnosis of HIV.

The review revealed that most patients tested for mpox in the Duke Health System were not comprehensively tested for STIs. Less than one-third of patients tested for mpox were also tested for concurrent gonorrhea or chlamydia, and one-third of patients not living with HIV were tested for HIV. More than half of patients (54%) who tested for mpox were also tested for syphilis. The lack of comprehensive screening is concerning, especially given that when testing was performed, concurrent STIs among patients with mpox were common: 21% of patients with mpox were diagnosed with a concurrent STI. Their findings emphasize the importance of comprehensive testing services, as well as the utility of electronic record-based review to identify gaps and opportunities for STI screening.

Niehaus commented on her experience as an infectious diseases trainee during the emergence of the mpox outbreak, sharing “As clinical fellows, we’ve all seen and treated patients with mpox this year, and it’s been rewarding to be able to step back and ask questions that affect our patients within the larger health system, all in the context of an international public health emergency.” She also reflected on the value of the project and opportunity to further her research training and networking: “This project has been thoughtfully designed so that we gain bite-sized experience in a wide range of research practices, including grant writing, developing methods, analytics, and dissemination of our findings. Of course, Will and I are particularly thrilled about the opportunity to attend CROI - both for the experience we’ll gain in presenting these results and for the chance to learn from and network with experts in the field.” 

Read this story on our website and read highlights from CROI on the HIV.gov blog.

Congratulations to Dr. Gerald Bloomfield and Dr. Thuy Le on their election to ASCI

Five Duke University School of Medicine faculty members are among the 100 researchers elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), one of the oldest and most esteemed nonprofit honor societies of physician-scientists.

The Duke CFAR congratulates two of our members on their election to ASCI: 

Gerald Bloomfield, MD, associate professor of medicine, and Thuy Le, MD, DPhil, associate professor of medicine.

Bloomfield leads a longstanding research and capacity building program on cardiovascular global health, which includes work in under-resourced communities in the US and a number of low-and middle-income country settings, including a partnership with Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. His research interests include determinants, noninvasive imaging and prevention of cardiovascular diseases; early detection of HIV-associated cardiovascular disease; and research capacity building both in the US and across the globe. 

Le is co-director of the Clinical Core of the Duke Center for AIDS Research and co-director of the Tropical Medicine Research Program for Talaromycosis in Vietnam. She leads a multi-country research collaboration to develop and test novel non-culture-based diagnostics and novel therapeutic strategies in Southeast Asia for talaromycosis, a severe HIV-associated fungal infection. 

ASCI was founded in 1908. Membership is by election only, and only researchers 50 years of age and younger are eligible for nomination. Therefore, membership in the ASCI is a recognition of a researcher’s significant contributions, at a relatively young age, to the understanding of human disease. The Society has over 3,000 members, many of whom are leaders in academic medicine and industry. 

Remembering Michael Stewart

The Duke CFAR is saddened to share news of the passing of Michael Stewart in January. Michael was a member of the Duke CFAR Community Advisory Board (CAB) and contributed to the National CFAR CAB Coalition, who praised his legacy of community engagement, advocacy, and education. John Bartlett, Patricia Bartlett, and Julia Giner knew Michael well from his vibrant presence in the local HIV community, and shared these words of remembrance:

Michael was the community representative at several national CFAR meetings in addition to being a long-term CAB member, and was deeply committed to understanding the science of HIV/AIDS. Michael loved his extended family (and dogs) deeply. He loved jazz, and was well known in local jazz clubs. He had a deep pride in the African American community and passionately championed all its beauty and differences through Facebook postings. In particular, Michael championed the local rich black history (including the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham), HBCUs including his alma mater, and black history month with amazing accomplishments of black singers, inventors, actors, historians, mathematicians, and many other "firsts". Michael was a gracious host when our CAB members from Moshi, Tanzania would attend meetings in the US. He was a kind and patient man, and we will miss him greatly. A tree has been planted as a living memorial to Michael.

Inter-CFAR Webinar: Using Local PrEP Equity Metrics to Measure Success in PrEP Scaleup

Monday, March 6th, 2023 | 12pm ET |Zoom

The Inter-CFAR Antiretrovirals for Prevention Working Group invites you to participate in its upcoming webinar!

Presenter: Patrick Sullivan, DVM, PhD | View Patrick Sullivan's profile

Professor, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University

Zoom information:



https://harvard.zoom.us/j/97013223992?pwd=cG1qUWZFNmVMeFhUblI4WGt4RW55QT09

Passcode: AFP

SOM Dean's Distinguished Research Series Faculty Lectures featuring Dr. Chris Beyrer and Dr. Keisha Bentley-Edwards

Thursday, March 9, 2023 | 4-5pm ET | 6th Floor, Trent Semans Center for Health Education & Livestream

The Duke University School of Medicine’s Dean’s Distinguished Research Series continues March 9 with groundbreaking research from the basic, clinical, and translational sciences, and a trainee poster session. All faculty, staff, trainees, and students are welcome to attend.

Thursday, March 9

2-4 pm — Trainee Poster Session | 6^th Floor, Trent Semans Center for Health Education

4-5 pm — Faculty Lectures | 6^th Floor, Trent Semans Center for Health Education

• “Social Determinants and HIV: Moving Toward Interventions,” presented by Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine; Director, Duke Global Health Institute

• “Are racial health disparities moving targets or are they a feature of social drivers of health?” presented by Keisha Bentley-Edwards, PhD, Assistant Professor of General Internal Medicine; Associate Director of Research, Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity; Co-Director, Special Populations & Equity in Research Cores, Clinical and Translational Science Award, CTSI

Light bites and refreshments provided on a first-come, first-served basis



Livestream link

Learn more or join the livestream.

2023 CFAR Supplement Announcement - please communicate proposal ideas by March 6

NIAID invites supplemental applications from currently funded CFARs to the four areas of interest listed below:

1. Formative, intervention, and implementation research to explore delivery of long-acting PrEP in populations who may benefit 

2. HIV and co-morbidities: Identification of mechanisms and strategies for optimal care that also reduce disparities 

3. Community-led research topic  

4. CFAR Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pathway Initiative (CDEIPI)

Each CFAR is limited in the number of applications they can submit:

• Each active CFAR can submit a maximum of two supplement applications from topics #1-3. Two applications can be in the same topic area.

• Each CFAR can submit a maximum of one supplement application for the CDEIPI topic (Topic #4). 

• Each inter-CFAR working group (WG) is permitted to submit one meeting application (Topic #5) even if there are multiple inter-CFAR WGs led by a CFAR (e.g., a CFAR can submit two applications for this topic if they are submitting on behalf of 2 different inter-CFAR WGs). 

Given the restricted number of applications our CFAR can support, please send a brief (no more than a one-page) summary of your proposal identifying the topic area to Mary Oris by Monday, March 6th, 5pm EST (mary.oris@duke.edu)

NIH Schedule for Applications

Announcement: 2/28/2023

Application Due Date: 04/17/2023

Earliest Anticipated Start Date: 07/01/2023

Learn more on our funding page.

Pilot funding opportunity - California National Primate Research Center

The California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) Pilot Program invites Letters of Intent for pilot project proposals to support basic and translational research using nonhuman primates (rhesus macaque and titi monkeys) for the 2023-2024 funding period. Pilot projects that address biomedical/translational research topics across the nonhuman primate lifespan and include CNPRC scientific research unit areas (Cardiorespiratory Diseases, Infectious Diseases, Neuroscience and Behavior, Reproductive Sciences and Regenerative Medicine) are requested. Pilot projects should be innovative and lead to tangible results in a one-year period. Full details of the call and additional information about the CNPRC Pilot Program may be located here.

The deadline for Letters of Intent is March 10, 2023. Full proposals will be requested from a subset of Letters of Intent. Applicants should note that this process is competitive at two levels, for both the Letters of Intent and the full proposals. Questions about the CNPRC Pilot Program may be emailed to the Associate Director of Research: lmiller@ucdavis.edu

Learn more about the funding opportunity.

Research Funding opportunities from the CDC

CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention released notices of funding opportunity (NOFO) for research activities on several key issues in HIV prevention.

The funding opportunities are aligned with National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) priorities and support the implementation of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative. Details on each opportunity with deadlines and links for more information can be found on the HIV.gov website.

Topics:

• Long-Acting Antiretroviral Therapy Preferences among Black Women - applications due March 17, 2023
• Rapid ART Initiation in the Emergency Department - applications due March 22, 2023
• Telehealth to Support Retention and Adherence to ART - applications due March 17, 2023

Learn more about the funding opportunities.

Applications open for Latino Scholars for HIV/AIDS Research Education (SHARE) 2023 summer program - please share

Applications for the Latino Scholars for HIV/AIDS Research Education (SHARE) 2023 summer program are now open! 

This program is an innovative 10-week summer mentored internship and learning experience for eligible undergraduate students from Hispanic/Latino communities. Based in Washington, DC at the George Washington University, this program aims to support Hispanic/Latino undergraduates interested in pursuing further studies and careers in HIV/AIDS and substance abuse-related research. 

SHARE is led by Drs. Carlos Rodríguez-Díaz, David Stoff, and Ana María del Río-González from the Department of Prevention and Community Health in Milken Institute School of Public Health and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at George Washington University. This program is funded through a grant from the National Institute of Health—National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Learn more about the SHARE program and how to apply at https://redcap.link/LatinoSHARE 

The application deadline is March 24, 2023 at 11:59PM (est)

For additional information, please contact Latino_Share@gwu.edu

Please help spread the word about SHARE with undergraduate students and community partners you may know!

Learn more about the program.

Registration open for Gopen and Write Winning Grants seminars

Registration is now open for a series of seminars to be held this summer in support of scholarly writing and grantsmanship for Duke researchers.  

Gopen Writing Seminar (July 10 and 11, 12:30pm-5:00pm)

• An in-person seminar by Dr. George Gopen in which attendees learn to apply and practice new principles and techniques of writing. 

Write Winning NIH Grant Proposals (July 26 and 27, 8:30am-12:30pm)

• A virtual seminar from Grant Writers' Seminars and Workshops focusing on writing successful NIH grant proposals.  

Write Winning NIH Career Development Award Proposals (August 11, 8:30am-12:30pm)

• A virtual seminar from Grant Writers' Seminars and Workshops focusing on writing a successful NIH Career Development Award grant proposal. 

Additional information about each seminar and registration form is available on the Duke Office of Research Initiatives website.

Contact researchinitiatives@duke.edu with any questions.

Learn more and register.

A compilation of funding opportunities can be found on the CFAR website.

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