UCSD CFAR Disparities Core

The overarching goal of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) HIV Disparities Program led by Dr. Jamila K. Stockman and Dr. Susan Little, is to serve as a collaborative research center, engaging academic researchers, community-based organizations, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (San Diego County HHSA), and people affected by HIV/AIDS to work together to reduce disparities related to HIV care, treatment and retention in San Diego County in particular and California in general. The mission of the Disparities Core is to decrease disparities across the HIV care and treatment continuum. Expanding upon the UCSD CFAR Conference on Disparities in HIV Care held in February 2015, the proposed UCSD CFAR Disparities Core will focus on spearheading innovative collaborative HIV/AIDS disparities care research including: development and evaluation of innovative interventions tailored to these populations, community education and involvement, and collaborative mentoring of junior investigators.

Addressing HIV/AIDS care and treatment disparities involves a multidisciplinary approach requiring expertise from the other UCSD CFAR Cores (e.g., Clinical Investigation and Biostatistics, Developmental, Translational Virology, Bioinformatics and Information Technologies). Collaborations between the Disparities Core and other CFAR cores will promote the development and implementation of innovative methods to bridge the gap in disparities related to HIV care and treatment in San Diego County. Additionally, collaborations with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) CFAR Disparities Core Programs to share successes and challenges in our mutual efforts to reduce disparities in HIV care and treatment will maximize achievements of our goal and mission.  Over the next 4 years, the specific aims of the Disparities Core will be:

• AIM 1. To promote collaborative HIV disparities care research and evaluation among UCSD researchers, community partners (e.g., non-governmental organizations, local HIV clinics, community centers), and the San Diego County HHSA. Initial projects will focus on populations with the highest proportion of unmet needs in San Diego County – African Americans and women.
• AIM 2. To provide resources for local HIV researchers to facilitate community-based research (e.g., community-based recruitment and retention strategies, innovative methods, community partner database, compilation of measures and scales to examine social and structural barriers to HIV care, treatment and retention).
• AIM 3. To provide mentorship opportunities and pilot funds to junior investigators, especially those who are underrepresented minorities, engaged in community-based HIV disparities care research in San Diego.
• AIM 4. To promote the exchange of ideas between community partners (e.g., non-governmental organizations, local HIV clinics, community centers), the San Diego County HHSA, UCSD researchers, and other CFAR Disparities Core Programs (UCSF and UCLA) to improve existing HIV care and treatment programs. This will be accomplished through the formation of a Community Advisory Board and a Scientific Advisory Board to provide guidance on the overall direction of the Disparities Core. Interaction with CFAR Disparities Core Programs at UCSF and UCLA will further enhance the overall direction of the UCSD CFAR HIV Disparities Program through discussions of challenges and successes of all programs.