CFAR Retreat recordings now available!

Did you miss the 2023 CFAR Fall Scientific Retreat, or want to re-watch that inspiring talk? Select recordings have been posted internally (Duke NetID required to log in) and on YouTube. Plus read our Retreat Recap.

News from the CFAR

"Can a Phone App Deliver More Teen-Friendly HIV Care?" DGHI article features Dr. Marta Mulawa's Research in Cape Town

UCT project staff Mluleki Matiwane and Bulelwa Mtukushe look at the MASI app

A recent article by the Duke Global Health Institute highlights research conducted by Dr. Marta Mulawa and her collaborators at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa. From the article:

There’s one group being left behind in the remarkable progress against AIDS: adolescents. While HIV transmission and HIV-related mortality is declining among adults, it isn’t decreasing as quickly among teenagers as health officials had projected. AIDS remains the leading cause of death among adolescents in Africa, and the second leading cause globally.

That gap has revealed a need for more teen-friendly HIV prevention and treatment programs, says Marta Mulawa, Ph.D., an assistant professor of nursing and global health at the Duke Global Health Institute.

“In the past, we shifted kids from pediatric to adult care without having adolescent-friendly care that’s appropriate, effective and accessible,” she says. “Adolescents deserve care and services tailored to their needs.”

So where do you go if you want to reach teens? Their phones, of course. 

Mulawa and researchers from the University of Cape Town and Florida State University developed a smartphone app called “Masakhane Siphucule Impilo Yethu,” also known as MASI. The phrase in Xhosa, a South African language, means, “Let’s empower each other and improve our health.” Users can identify goals and receive feedback on their action plan, learn health tips, and build community by interacting with each other.

“I don’t see tech as replacing support groups or in-person care, but as another platform for young people to make connections and get access to useful, credible information,” Mulawa says. Read more

The MASI team during a recent trip to Cape Town

Bulelwa Mtukushe, a project coordinator for the MASI app at the University of Cape Town, says participants self-reported adhering more to their medication routine throughout the study.

“They’re learning,” says Bulelwa, a native of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. “I never thought I’d see something like this working so well in South Africa. This app is empowering our participants.”

As important as its information may be, MASI also provides a safe community for teens living with HIV. Users are connected with peer mentors and encouraged to accept their HIV status.

“Because social networks can shape behaviors, it can shape behavior change for public health,” Mulawa says. “This technology is another way to reach underserved youth who have challenges accessing and staying in care.”

Read the full article.

Dr. Eve Puffer receives Thomas Langford Lectureship Award

Congratulations to Dr. Eve Puffer for being selected to receive the prestigious Thomas Langford Lectureship Award. Puffer is the Pamela and Jack Egan Associate Professor in Psychology & Neuroscience and Global Health, and Director of the Duke Global Mental Health Program. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating integrated community-based interventions to promote child mental health, improve family functioning, and prevent HIV risk behavior.

The Langford Lecture series was established by the Office of the Provost in 2000 as a tribute to Thomas Langford, former Divinity School faculty member, Dean, and Provost. Langford embodied the highest university values of scholarship, teaching, collegiality, and the promotion of faculty excellence and community. 

This annual lecture/luncheon series is designed to provide Duke’s faculty with an opportunity to hear about the ongoing scholarly activities of their recently promoted or hired colleagues. The Committee on Appointments, Promotion and Tenure, in consultation with the Provost, selects four to five recipients of this award each year. The awardees are selected based on the appeal of their research to an interdisciplinary faculty audience, as well as their embodiment of Langford’s dedication to teaching, research, and service. Puffer will deliver her lecture in February 2024.

Read about the award.

Today! DOCR Session on Gender-Inclusive Language



Wednesday, October 25, 2023 | 1-2pm ET | Zoom

Research Wednesday session: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Presenter: Dane Whicker

Session Objectives:

At this session, learners will receive an overview of the following topics and will able to answer the following questions by the end of the session:

• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the research setting
• What is gender-inclusive language? 
• Why is it important to use? 
• What does it look like in the research setting? 
• Practical tips on gender inclusion in research 
• How to practice incorporating new inclusive language
• Potential pitfalls and how to repair after making a mistake
• Protecting our research participants in a new legal landscape 
• Changes in NC laws in 2023 and their impact on clinical research
• Bringing awareness to CoC's and highlighting the importance of using CoC's to ensure the safety of our participants

Zoom Information

Meeting URL: https://duke.zoom.us/j/96885483727

Meeting ID: 968 8548 3727

NIH OAR Workshop - Community Voices: Forging the Path Forward for HIV Self-testing and Personalized Viral Load Monitoring



November 1-2, 2023 | 1-5pm ET | Zoom

NIH OAR is pleased to host the November workshop “Community Voices: Forging the Path Forward for HIV Self-testing and Personalized Viral Load Monitoring,” a community-oriented workshop focusing on advancing the development of HIV diagnostic and monitoring technologies.  

The workshop will take place November 1–2, 2023 and will bring together HIV community members, HIV researchers, HIV technology and device developers, industry consultants, and regulatory agency representatives to discuss ways to increase access to rapid at-home, on-demand, and point-of-care HIV self-testing and viral load monitoring tools.  

To ensure we have a diverse and engaged audience, please consider inviting your networks by sharing the following messages. Registration closes October 30, 2023.

Register for the virtual workshop.

Register by November 27th for the 2023 Inter-CFAR Women and HIV Symposium



December 6-7, 2023 | San Francisco, CA

Registration is open for the 2023 Inter-CFAR Women and HIV Symposium is open. There will be no registration fee. Register by November 27th.

The Symposium will feature three sessions on the following topics, as well as two networking lunches and an NIH Research Priorities and Listening Session:

• Reproductive Health and HIV: From Policy to Practice
• ​Speakers include: Judy Levinson, Elizabeth Lowenthal, and a patient perspective
• Antiretroviral Therapy and Metabolism in the Era of INSTIs: Sex and Gender Differences
• ​Speakers include: Cecile Lahiri, Amanda Willig, Julie Dumond
• Aging with HIV across the Gender Spectrum
• ​Speakers include: Denise Russo, Peter Hunt, Tonia Poteat, Jordan Lake

View the agenda for the symposium.

Hotel

We have arranged a room block at the newly remodeled Holiday Inn Golden Gateway from December 5th through 7th, at a rate of $135/night. We will arrange shuttle transport to the meeting venue from the hotel. Reservations can be made here: CFAR Meeting (More details on the website).



Questions can be sent to Lauren Sterling (lauren.sterling@ucsf.edu). This meeting is supported in part by grant R13HD113489 with funding from U.S. National Institutes of Health institutes: NICHD, NIAID, and NIDDK.  

Learn more and register for the symposium.

Duke Center for Human Systems Immunology Pilot Project Applications

The Duke Center for Human Systems Immunology (CHSI) is proud to announce that we are now accepting proposals for pilot projects! Through this RFP, CHSI will support projects aimed at securing future independent funding in cross-cutting research areas within immunology, with a preference for those incorporating computational biology. This RFP encourages submissions from new investigators and collaborations across Duke, emphasizing trans-disciplinary partnerships. Up to three (3) annual Pilot Awards, each with a maximum $20,000 direct cost funding, are available. The application schedule includes a Letter of Intent by November 1, 2023, and full proposals by December 1, 2023. Eligibility extends to faculty of all ranks and post-doctoral/clinical fellows, with specific criteria for each group. The award period is limited to 12 months or less, with the projected award date of January 15, 2024.

Please click the links below to learn more and access the application guidelines and material:

• 2023 CHSI Request For Proposal and Application Guidelines
• Proposal Coversheet and Checklist 

Learn more and read the RFP.

CFAR AFRICURE Program

The CFAR AFRICURE RFA has been released. Please share with eligible investigators.

The AFRICURE program will award five grants of $150,000 for one year, plus applicable indirect costs. This program intends to attract highly talented early- and mid-career stage investigators from sub-Saharan Africa to address critical questions related to HIV cure research. Recipients of the awards will be mentored by and collaborate with established HIV investigators across CFARs and affiliated institutions in Africa, with the goal of having a transformational impact on the careers of African investigators, their institutions, and the entire HIV cure enterprise. This is a 2-part application process, starting with the submission of a concept sheet.

Important Dates:

• Concept Proposal due: November 7, 2023 
• Notification of Outcome: November 22, 2023 
• Invited Applications due: January 22, 2024 
• Notification of Outcome: February 19, 2024 
• Project Period: March 1, 2024 – February 28, 2025

Learn more about the program and read the RFA.

RAMP Scholar Grant Applications open for BIPOC Medical Students

The HIV Vaccine Trials Network, in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, is investing in a young generation of HIV prevention researchers by providing African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Islander medical students with opportunities to conduct independent research while receiving mentoring, project and salary funding, training, and professional development opportunities. The complete Request for Applications can be found on the HVTN RAMP webpage.

Grant recipients will be mentored by HVTN-affiliated investigators while conducting research projects in areas of basic, clinical, behavioral, and social science.

Project Options

Scholars will have the opportunity to apply to a research project of their interest. Project summaries for the 2024-2025 cycle have been posted online. To see projects of our current and former scholars, check out their profiles. 

DEADLINE: Tuesday, January 2, 2024  

Eligibility Requirements

• Ethnicities: African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Islander  
• Residency Status: U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident or an individual granted deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) status by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
• Academic Classification: Matriculated student at an accredited U.S. medical school conferring MD and DO degrees or student attending an international medical school where medical students and graduates are eligible to apply for certification in the US from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), in good academic standing

Learn more on the CFAR website.

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