Mentored Scientist Award

Fall 2025 funding cycle: Applications available until Monday, September 29th, 2pm PT. 

  • Call opens: Thursday, August 28, 2025
  • Deadline: Monday, September 29, 2025 (2:00 pm PST)
  • Funding results: Available before end of December 2025

Amount available: $50,000 in direct costs for 1 year

Apply through the UCSF Resource Allocation Program (RAP) portal

The CFAR Mentored Scientist Award (our primary award program) is a mentoring and training grant targeted toward early stage (either at a senior stage of clinical or postdoctoral training or junior faculty) investigators at UCSF or affiliated partner institutes in the conduct of an HIV research project. These awards are designed to acquire preliminary data and research skills to prepare investigators for a future grant effort. Applicants for this award must indicate a faculty research mentor(s) who will commit to guiding the applicant throughout the duration of the proposed project.

Designation of Mentor
All Mentored award applications from individuals at the Assistant Professor level or below require an HIV research mentor. Mentors can, but are not required to, have supervisory authority over the applicant. CFAR requires your research mentor’s support to advise and guide the research portion of your application before submitting it to RAP.

Of high interest to CFAR are investigations ranging from basic pathogenesis to clinical outcomes in the research areas of HIV/aging and inflammation, latency, cure, vaccines, co-infections, HIV in women, implementation science, and research related to HIV-infected and HIV-impacted Bay Area populations. Projects must be within NIH’s HIV/AIDS research high or medium priority areas. Projects in closely related areas (e.g. TB, HCV, drug use, etc.) must be clearly linked to HIV in order to be eligible for CFAR funding.

The award amount is $50,000 in direct costs for one year.

CFAR requests that applicants review the NIAID HIV Language Guide as they prepare their proposals so that they can follow best practices on language for communicating respectfully about HIV and related topics, including the use of person-first, non-stigmatizing language. Please contact us if you have any questions about this request.

For more detailed information about this RFA, please see the RAP Portal.
To see examples of previously funded projects, see the list below.

Mentored Science Awardees

133 Awards

Award Recipient Award date Award Type
Exploring the PrEP implementation landscape in preventative health care delivery for women in two high incidence counties in Florida Rachel Logan, PhD, MPH Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Investigating Interleukin-2 variants to enhance the antiviral capacity of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells Rafael Tiburcio, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Unmet need for PrEP among sero-discordant partners: Understanding barriers and facilitators to a partner-based PrEP referral program Lila Sheira, PhD, MPH Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Fill in the blank: Methodology development for antibody detection during treatment interruption. Chao Wang, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Modulating the Interferon Effector HELZ2 to Target HIV Persistence Li Du, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Molecular mechanisms of patient adapted HIV-1 Vif antagonism of human APOBEC3H Yange Niu, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Novel Multiplexed LC-MS/MS for Tissue Level Quantitation and Characterization of Broadly Neutralizing Anti- HIV- 1 Monoclonal Antibodies (bnAb) Mohammad Rahman, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Multiparametric single-cell spatial characterization of HIV-infected cells and immune responses from multiple gut compartments of people with HIV Marta Calvet-Mirabent, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
MIXED BARS: A MIXED Method Design for Behavioral Analysis of Risk Syndemics on Heavy Alcohol Consumption Study Thye Peng Ngo, PhD, RN Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Assessing a role for the vaccinal effect in post-intervention control of HIV Julia Wagner, MD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Characterizing delivery preferences and opportunities for implementing long-acting injectable cabotegravir and event-driven PrEP for transgender women in So Paulo, Brazil Sophia Zamudio-Haas, DrPH, MSc Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Exploring the Benefit of Machine Learning to Predict Biomarker-Measured Alcohol Use, Opioid Use, and Co-Use via Routinely Collected Biological Data in the All of Us Research Program Cristina Espinosa da Silva, PhD, MPH Spring Mentored Scientist Award
HIV and STI prevention practices among in-person and digital male sex workers who have sex with men (MSMSW) in the United States Kristopher Jackson, PhD, RN Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Immunodominance and CD8+ T-cell avidity in mRNA vs. Ad vaccine efficacy and viral evasion Gema Mendez-Lagares, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Understanding Women Living with HIV’s Perceptions of the Relationship between HIV, ART, and Fertility Erica Sedlander, DrPH Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Modulating effects of HIV infection and early ART initiation on Immune dysfunction and TB risk Fatoumatta Darboe, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Evaluation of immune-mediated depletion of CD127+ tissue reservoirs as an HIV cure strategy Ifeanyi Ezeonwumelu, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Early Structural Cardiovascular Disease and HIV in East Africa Saate Shakil, MD, MS Fall Mentored Scientist Award
CAPTURE Study: Causes and Predictors of post-Tuberculosis Restrictive lung disease in people with and without HIV in Uganda Katerina Byanova, MD, MS Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Engagement in HIV prevention and preferences for long-acting injectable cabotegravir delivery in fishing communities along Lake Victoria, Kenya Holly Nishimura, PhD, MPH Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Social networks and their role in early initiation of antenatal care by HIV serostatus in Uganda Alison Comfort, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Understanding Provider Management of Menopausal Symptoms for Women Living with HIV: A Qualitative Study Lauren Suchman, PhD, MA Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Addressing Health Disparities Among Women in the Middle East Parya Saberi, PharmD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Systematic testing for HIV and tuberculosis among community members attending social drinking venues in Lusaka, Zambia Andrew Kerkhoff, MD, PhD, MSc Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Deep analysis of SARS-CoV-2-specific serological and T cell responses in people living with HIV Tongcui Ma, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Modulating Interleukin-2-Inducible T-cell Kinase (ITK) to Target HIV Persistence Prerna Dabral, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
PrEP Choice: Developing a PrEP decision support tool for young men who have sex with men Hyman Scott, MD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Hyperlipidemia and Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Among Persons Living with HIV in East Africa Megan McLaughlin, MD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
HIV Cure via Direct Cytotoxic Depletion of the HIV Reservoir Jesse Deere, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Inflammation, Aging, Microbes, Obstructive Lung Disease, and Diffusion Abnormalities (I AM OLD-DA): IDO Activity as a Driver of Lung Disease by Sex (IDOLS) Rebecca Abelman, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Antiretroviral Drug Penetration in HIV Reservoir Sites using Tissue from Deceased Donors Amelia Deitchman, PharmD, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Modulation of mTOR signaling using metformin during therapeutic SIV vaccination to achieve stringent post-treatment control Gema Mendez-Lagares, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Identifying clinic factors that shape population health outcomes in times of crisis Hannah Leslie, PhD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
A examination of the intersection between mobility and HIV outcomes among Black cisgender and transgender women in Atlanta Miranda Hill, PhD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Development of novel scales to measure HIV-specific social support for safer conception and male involvement in safer conception approaches for the prevention of HIV Sarah Gutin, PhD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Characterization and assessment of telomerase transduced primary CD4+ T-cells as a model to study HIV latency. Bharath Sreekumar, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Cardiovascular Mechanisms of Post-Acute Sequalae of COVID-19 Among People Living with HIV Matthew Durstenfeld, MD, MAS Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Relationship between Kynurenine Pathway and TB-specific Th17 responses in People with HIV and Latent Tuberculosis Infection Paul Ogongo, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Evaluating the magnitude and durability of the vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 immune response in people with and without HIV infection Michael Peluso, MD, MPhil, MHS Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Identifying Reasons for Late-Diagnosis of HIV: An Academic-Community Partnership to Improve Health Outcomes Natalie Wilson, PhD, DNP, MPH Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Targeting Viral Reservoirs through PET-Informed Dosing of Curative Agents Amelia Deitchman, PharmD, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
“Our Lives Matter”: Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Black/African American and Latino Sexual Minority Men Access to HIV Prevention and Treatment Services, Resource Security, and Vaccination Acceptance and Uptake Orlando Harris, PhD, RN, FNP, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Urogenital and rectal Mycoplasma genitalium in men who have sex with men and transgender women at high risk for STIs: a pilot study of prevalence and antibiotic resistance Emma Bainbridge, MD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Application of quantitative intersectionality methods to identify the most vulnerable populations in the HIV continuum of care Paul Wesson, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Weight gain and metabolic consequences of switch to dolutegravir in Western Kenya Matthew Hickey, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Potent Anti-HIV Gene Editing in Primary Myeloid Cells using CRISPR-Cas9 Technology Mohamed Bouzidi, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Assessing CSF HIV antibodies and CNS HIV viral reservoirs in HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND) Joanna Hellmuth, MD, MHS Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Linkages between gender-based violence and engagement in HIV care in a prospective cohort of U.S. women living with HIV Amy Conroy, PhD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Racial/Ethnic Disparities for HIV-related Risks and Health Outcomes among Black Trans Women in the African Diaspora Kelly Taylor, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Surface engineering of exosomes to specifically bind and kill HIV-infected cells Pooja Bhardwaj, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Improving urine-based tuberculosis diagnosis in people living with HIV Devan Jaganath, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Postpartum Adherence to HIV treatment and Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Strategies: The Implications of Transitions Among Women Living with HIV in Kisumu County, Kenya. Emily Tuthill, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Engagement and retention in tuberculosis care services among people living with HIV in Lusaka, Zambia: Does gender matter? Andrew Kerkhoff, MD, PhD, MSc Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Identifying Reasons for Late-Diagnosis of HIV: An Academic-Community Partnership to Improve Health Outcomes Wilson Vincent, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Clonal Hematopoiesis and CV Risk in Patients Living with HIV Alexandra Teng, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Characterization of HIV multiple splicing stage aiming to efficiently reverse HIV latency Sara Moron-Lopez, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
The role of pulmonary myeloid cells in HIV-related COPD in individuals on anti-retroviral therapy Joshua Vasquez, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Are extracellular vesicles involved in the pathogenesis of HIV-associated cardiovascular disease? Erika Marques de Menezes, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Objective medication adherence monitoring for geographically mobile persons living with HIV Pamela Murnane, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Exploring the intersection of food insecurity and violence among women in the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) Anna Leddy, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Untangling the Gordian knot of HIV, stress, and cognitive function via a mixed methods study of food insecurity Judy Tan, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Locating perceptions of HIV acquisition and transmission risks among people who inject drugs in West Virginia Sarah Mars, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Improving clinical care for HIV-infected transplant patients by innovations in rejection diagnostics Arya Zarinsefat, MD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Defining the cellular and viral factors underlying HIV latency at the single cell level Sushama Telwatte, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Structure-based Tat/TAR inhibitor screening for the development of novel treatments and a cure for HIV/AIDS Ursula Schulze-Gahmen, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Pneumo-seq pathogen and antimicrobial resistance surveillance in Ugandan HIV positive adults with pneumonia Chaz Langelier, MD, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Gut metabolites and their role in diastolic dysfunction in HIV+ individuals Nalini Colaco, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Epigenetic architecture of stress among sexual minority men living with HIV Annesa Flentje, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Sprouty 1 and 2 Regulation of Cytotoxicity in HIV-specific CD8+ T Cells Hesham Shehata, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Modeling the impacts of HIV self-testing among men who have sex with men in South Africa Emily Agnew, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Impact of a novel multicomponent nutrition intervention on cardiovascular disease risk factors among food-insecure adults with HIV in the Dominican Republic Kartika Palar, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Cellular targets of early viral replication in RhCMV/SIV-vaccinated macaques with Mamu-E-restricted T cell responses Kawthar Machmach, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
The SUPrEME Study: Substance Use and PrEP adherence among Men who have sex with Men Milo Santos, PhD, MPH Spring Mentored Scientist Award
CD30/CD30L signaling pathways in HIV-1 mediated B cell dysfunction Louise Hogan, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Understanding how trafficking of blood CD4 T cells into HIV-infected lymphoid tissues triggers sensitivity to pyroptotic cell death Eytan Herzig, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Developing a Mobile Application for Optimizing HIV Care and Treatment and Healthy Aging Outcomes in Older Men of Color Living with HIV Judy Tan, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Reactivation of HIV transcription from latently infected cells by some Iranian herbal extracts Omid Madadgar, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
NK-CTL induction by RhCMV-based vaccines Gema Mendez-Lagares, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Does non-pyroptotic IFI16 signaling promote HIV pathogenesis by recruiting new target cells to die? Tom Packard, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Targeted Behavioral Incentives for Improving Tuberculosis (TB) Diagnostic Evaluation Outcomes Priya Shete , MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Assessing HIV-specific CD8+ T Cell Exhaustion During Antiretroviral Therapy Rachel Rutishauser, MD, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
PrEP Awareness and Acceptability among Women Involved in the Criminal Justice System Emily Dauria, PhD, MPH Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Investigating the impact of in utero HIV or malaria exposure on CD4+ T cell development Pamela Odorizzi, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Determining the Role of TGF-β Signaling in Maintaining HIV Latency in the Gut Shahzada Khan, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Effects of Emtricitabine/tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate Use on Kidney Health in HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Vasantha Jotwani, MD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Substance Use and Depression in a National Cohort of HIV+ Latinos in HIV care John Sauceda, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Influence of Antiretroviral Treatment in Acute HIV on Viral Reservoir Formation in the CNS Joanna Hellmuth, MD, MHS Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Measuring the Uptake of Evidence Based Guidance on Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation in HIV-Tuberculosis Co-infected Persons Monika Roy, MD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Malaria Parasitemia in HIV-infected and Uninfected Populations in Uganda Shereen Katrak, MD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Retention in Care and Virologic Suppression among Childbearing HIV-Infected Ugandan Women in the Era of Lifelong Combination Antiretroviral Therapy Catherine Koss, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Circulating and Endothelial MicroRNAs in HIV-Associated Cardiovascular Disease Annie Narla, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Evaluating Genetic Factors Associated with Tenofovir Exposure in HIV-Infected Women Undergoing Intensive Pharmacokinetic Monitoring Sanjiv Baxi, MD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Exploring Relationship Factors and Engagement in HIV Care in South Africa Amy Conroy, PhD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Investigating How CD4 T Cells Die in HIV-1-Infected Patients: Potential Implications for a Novel Therapeutic Intervention Stefanie Sowinski, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
A Cross-Sectional Study of Cerebral Vasoreactivity in HIV-infected Individuals Compared with Uninfected Controls Felicia Chow, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Geriatric Syndromes in Older HIV-Infected Adults Meredith Greene, MD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Acquisition in Early Childhood in Uganda Carina Marquez, MD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
ACE Inhibitors to Decrease Lymphoid Fibrosis and the Size of the Latent Reservoirin Antiretroviral-Treated, HIV-infected Patients: A Pilot Study Leslie Cockerham, MD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Point-of-Care C-Reactive Protein to Improve Selection of HIV-infected Individuals Eligible for Isoniazid Preventive Therapy Christina Yoon, MD, MPH Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Understanding the Contextual Role of Relationship Power in an At-Risk Population of Young Injection Drug Users Meghan Morris, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
The Effect of 12 weeks of Mesalamine Therapy on the Endothelial Function of HIV Infected Patients on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Amey Kulkarni, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Host Genetic Predictors of IDO-induced Tryptophan Catabolism Among HIV Infected Ugandans Maintaining Treatment-Mediated Viral Suppression Sulggi Lee, MD, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Molecular Mechanisms of Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients with Treated HIV Infection Daniel Brenner, MD, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Atrial Fibrillation in HIV Infection Jonathan Hsu, MD, MAS Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Alcohol-Associated Unprotected Sexual Intercourse Among a Cohort of Newly Diagnosed HIV+ Adults in Mbarara, Uganda: A Pilot Study Sarah Woolf-King, PhD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Development and Implementation of a Novel Sexual Health-Oriented Mobile Health Application (app) to Assess Sexual Risk Behavior Among Men who Have Sex with Men Snigdha Vallabhaneni, MD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Social Networking Technologies in Improving Treatment Engagement of Young Black HIV-positive Individuals Parya Saberi, PharmD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Sputum M. Tuberculosis DNA Kinetics During TB Treatment in Patients with HIV Charles Everett, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Differences in Humoral Immune Response to Plasmodium falciparum in HIV-1-Infected and HIV-Exposed/Uninfected Ugandan Children Chris Keh, MD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
The Importance of Routine Viral Load Monitoring: The Effect of Delayed Regimen Modification Following Virologic Failure of First-Line Antiretroviral Treatment among HIV-Infected Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa Maya Petersen, MD, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Predictors and Optimal Diagnostics of Placental Malaria in Tororo, Uganda Veronica Ades, MD, MPH Fall Mentored Scientist Award
CD96 Regulation and the Impact on T Cell Effector Functions during HIV-1 Infection Emily Eriksson, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Acceptability and Feasibility of Serial HIV Antibody Testing to Detect Incident HIV Infection During Pregnancy and Lactation and Partner Testing in Tororo, Uganda Lena Kim, MD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Immunosenescence Profiles: A Comparison of Remitters and Non-Remitters in HIV-Related Kaposi Sarcoma Before and After Patrick Unemori, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Inflammatory Biomarkers in Acute and Early HIV Infection Vivek Jain, MD, MAS Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Prevalence, Incidence and Correlates of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Infection in HIV-Infected and HIV-Uninfected Ugandan Children Lisa Butler, MPH, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Exploring Innate Mechanisms of Viral Suppression in HIV Elite Controllers David Lim, MD, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
Effect of Gluccocorticoids on Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses During HIV Infection Jeffrey Milush, PhD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
The Impact of Household Ventilation on Transmission of Tuberculosis Among Household Contacts of Active Tuberculosis Patients in Kampala, Uganda Gabriel Chamie, MD Fall Mentored Scientist Award
The Role of Undiagnosed Opportunistic Infections in Early Mortality among HIV infected Patients Starting Antiretroviral Therapy in Africa Elvin Geng, MD, MPH Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Cognitive Impairment in HIV Over 60 Years of Age Victor Valcour, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Subtype and CCR5/CXCR4 Tropism in HIV-1 Infected Ugandan Children Theodore Ruel, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Augmentation of Peripheral T cell Function A.J. Middlebrook, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Early Discontinuation of enfuvirtide During Treatment Failure Prevents Establishment of enfuvirtide-resistant Virus in Reservoir. Hiroyu Hatano, MD, MHS Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Clinically Relevant Changes In Patients Treated with ARV and Antimalarial Drugs Polina German, PharmD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to identify pneumocystis DNA in oropharyngeal wash (OPW) specimens in Resource-constrained Settings. J.Lucian Davis, MD, MAS Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Comparison of Quantiferon to Conventional Tuberculin Skin Testing for the Diagnosis of Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI) in HIV Positive Subjects Annie Luetkemeyer, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Predictors of Uptake and Outcome of HIV Rapid Testing in a Tuberculosis Clinic -- Kampala, Uganda Padmini Srikantiah, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Understanding the Immunopathogenicity of Protease Inhibitor-Resistant HIV: In vivo Assessment of Thymic Function and T-cell Activation in Patients with Drug-Resistant and Wild-Type HIV Peter Hunt, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Determination Whether HIV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell Responses are Associated with the Control of Drug-Resistant HIV Replication in Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Brinda Emu, MD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Use of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in the Evaluation of Hepatic Lipid Content and Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism in Patients with HIV and HCV Infection Giorgos Sakkas, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
The Influence of Duel Pressure from Antiretroviral Therapy and Anti-HIV-1-Specific CD8+ T cell Responses on Drug Resistance Development Annika Karlsson, PhD Spring Mentored Scientist Award
Analysis of Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor Levels in Intracellular Compartments, Plasma and Hair in HIV-positive Women on HAART Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH Spring Mentored Scientist Award
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