The Inter-CFAR Underrepresented Minority (URM) HIV Investigators Working Group is a collaboration of investigators - from post-doctoral level through senior faculty ranks – to address the barriers to, and leverage points for, URM-led nationally coordinated and collaborative multidisciplinary HIV research, a mission of the CFAR. This working group was established in 2022 and is led by the University of California, San Francisco Bay Area CFAR. In the inaugural meeting, this working group created a 5-year strategy outlining key actions for URMs to lead in the future of HIV research within the CFARs and beyond. The second annual meeting was held in 2023 and focused on creating actions and implementation steps toward executing the strategy outlined in 2022.
The working group's strategy includes seven goals focused on building a national URM network, supporting research efforts and careers, and promoting institutional change to facilitate recruitment and retention of URM investigators in HIV research. This working group has five sub-committees working to address the following aims:
- To develop an empowered, multi-disciplinary inter-CFAR URM-driving collaborative network
- To produce high-impact science and give visibility to URM investigators
- To support a thriving and well-balanced research careers
- To identify sources of substantial and sustainable funding for URM-led research
- To identify and support audacious and courageous URM leaders in HIV research
- To systematically collect data to assess the nationwide CFAR program on supporting URM research funding, promotion, leadership, and DEI targets
- To create a tailored, feasible, and compensated career continuum to support the recruitment and retention of URM investigators
The working group is a collection of URM investigators working in all areas of HIV science both domestically and globally.
