Services and Research Support

Pilot Studies Program

As the Core moves into its second year, we will institute a pilot studies program with the goal of funding innovative and high-impact research to reduce HIV disparities.

There are two currently funded projects currently underway:

Educational Activities and Events

  • Annual Health Disparities Symposium
    Co-presented by the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research, this conference brings together leaders from community- based organizations, academic institutions, and industry to present on a range of disparity issues including co-infections, health insurance issues, the treatment cascade, and mental health as it relates to disparities.
  • Seminars and Town Halls
    Currently, the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies hosts Town Hall series that highlights research, clinical, and community work in the social/behavioral HIV space. The Health Disparities Core co-hosts several of these throughout the year; selecting a young investigator, a leader from one of our community-based partners, or a public health official working to eradicate health disparities in HIV to present.
  • Workshops
    Qualitative research is an essential component of health disparities research. The Health Disparities Core will host quarterly trainings in qualitative research that are open to researchers from any discipline who are interested in incorporating health disparities into their work.
  • Consultation
    The Health Disparities Core will provide consultation on issues of methodology, study design (including survey instruments), measurement and evaluation in research projects with a focus on health disparities. Given that research focusing on health disparities involves diverse and often vulnerable populations, this kind of consultation and expertise is essential. This consultation is provided by the Health Disparities Scientific Working Group.
  • Mentoring Early Career Investigators of Color
    In conjunction with the CFAR Developmental Core and its Mentoring Program, the The Health Disparities Core will work to ensure direct fostering of the careers of minority researchers. The Developmental Core seeks recommendations from Core Directors each year for investigators who would benefit from the CFAR mentoring program, and the Health Disparities Core can nominate two early career researchers dedicated to health disparities work for the program. This also provides an opportunity for basic, clinical, and social-behavioral researchers to interact from the early stages of their career, increasing the visibility and understanding of disparities research among basic and clinical scientists.