The UCSF-GIVI CFAR Eighth Annual Research Symposium, "Emerging Concepts in Antiretroviral Therapy," will take place January 12-13 (Wednesday and Thursday), 2005. This two-day program will be held in the auditorium of the new J. David Gladstone Institutes building at Mission Bay. Registration will open in mid-November. Pre-registration at that time is strongly advised due to seating capacity in the auditorium. A proposed program can be viewed on our web site. For additional symposium information, please call the symposium coordinator, Loren Dobkin, at 415-379-5602, extension 1.

3. News from AIDS Policy Research Center (APRC)

a. New Prevention with Positives Literature section on APRC web site

The AIDS Policy Research Center continues to expand its archive of Prevention with Positives resources, having just added a comprehensive section linking to peer-reviewed articles and related literature on the topic.

b. Recent publications

Johnson, M.O., Catz, S.L., Remien, R.H., Rotheram-Borus, M.J., Morin, S.F., Charlebois, E., Gore-Felton, C., Goldstein, R.B., Wolfe, H., Lightfoot, M., Chesney, M.A., and the NIMH Healthy Living Project Team (2003). Theory Guided, Empirically Supported Avenues for Intervention on HIV Medication Nonadherence: Findings from the Healthy Living Project (2004). AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 17(12):645-656.

Klitzman, R.L., Kirshenbaum, S.B., Dodge, B., Remien, R.H., Ehrhardt, A.A., Johnson, M.O., Kittel, L.E., Daya, S., Morin, S.F., Kelly, J., Lightfood, M., Rotheram-Borus, M.J., and the NIMH Healthy Living Project Team (2004). Intricacies and inter-relationships between HIV disclosure and HAART: a qualitative study. AIDS Care, 6(5):628-40.

Klitzman, R., Kirshenbaum, R.B., Kittel, L., Morin, S.F., Mastrogiacomo, M., Daya, S., Rotheram-Borus, M.J., and The NIMH Healthy Living Project Team. "Naming Names": Perceptions of HIV-Related Policies (Name-Based HIV Reporting, Partner Notification, and Criminalization of Non-disclosure) Among Persons Living With HIV. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 1(3), 38-57.

Morin, S.F., Carrillo, H., Steward, W.T., Maiorana, A., Trautwein, M., & Gómez, C. (2004). Policy Perspectives on Public Health for Mexican Migrants in California. JAIDS, 37:S252-259.

Myers, J.J., Steward, W.T., Charlebois, E.D., Koester, K.A., Maiorana A, Morin S.F. Written Clinic Procedures Enhance Delivery of HIV "Prevention with Positives" Counseling in Primary Health Care Settings. JAIDS, 37:S95-S100.

Weinhardt, L.S., Kelly, J.A., Brondino, M.J., Rotheram-Borus, M.J., Kirshenbaum, S.B., Chesney, M.A., Remien, R.H., Morin, S.F., Lightfoot, M., Ehrhardt, A.A., Johnson, M.O., Catz, S.L., Pinkerton, S.D., Benotsch, E.G., Hong, D., Gore-Felton, C., and the NIMH Healthy Living Project Team (2004). HIV Transmission Risk Behavior Among Men and Women: Living With HIV in Four U.S. Cities. JAIDS, 36(5):1057-66.

4. News from Blood Systems Research Institute (BSRI)

a. Research Seminar 11/2/04

Tuesday, November 2, 2004
12:00 noon - 2:00 pm
Marion Lanteri, Ph.D.
Virology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine PASTEUR, Nice, France
"Glycans Modifications and HIV Infection: Physiopathological Consequences"

Blood Centers of the Pacific/Irwin Center
Conference Room #1, 2nd Floor, 270 Masonic Avenue, San Francisco

RSVP: Barbara "BJ" Johnson: (415) 749-6661; BJohnson@bloodsystems.org.

5. News from Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS)

a. Dr. Steve Morin named new Director of CAPS

To all at ARI from Dr. Lee Goldman:

I am delighted to announce that Steve Morin has been identified by our search committee, which was chaired by Susan Folkman, as the best individual to become the new director of CAPS, and that Steve has accepted this appointment. I have had the opportunity to work closely with Steve, especially over the past year as he has served as interim principal investigator on the CAPS Center Grant and has made key contributions to plans for the possible relocation of CAPS. This appointment also symbolizes a major turning point for CAPS, because of the unprecedented resources being pledged by the Department of Medicine, the Dean's office, the AIDS Research Institute, and the Chancellor's office. I hope you will join me in welcoming Steve to this key leadership role within the Department of Medicine.

b. TAPS fellowship program accepting applications

Please reply to Rochelle Hartwig if interested or to receive further information (415/597-9260; Rhartwig@psg.ucsf.edu)

The Center for AIDS Prevention Studies and the UCSF AIDS Research Institute have an exciting fellowship to offer MD's and PhD's wishing to engage in HIV-related research. This is a three-year NIMH-funded postdoctoral research training program in AIDS-related prevention research offered by the University of California, San Francisco, in cooperation with the UCSF AIDS Research Institute and other Bay Area institutions. The program is designed for persons with a PhD, MD, DrPH or equivalent degree in a health, behavioral or social science discipline who wish to pursue academic or public health careers relevant to the prevention of HIV infection. Persons already holding an MPH degree or equivalent in addition to their doctorate can apply for a two-year fellowship. Minority candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

Additional details about the program, the sponsoring institutions and the educational environment are provided in the announcement below. The application deadline is December 1, 2004, for fellowships commencing July 1, 2005. Potential applicants may contact Rochelle Hartwig, Program Coordinator, to discuss their interests and obtain more detailed information. Applications are available upon request.

c. CAPS Town Hall: Dr. Kimberly Page-Shafer

You are invited to this Friday's CAPS Town Hall featuring Dr. Kimberly Page-Shafer.

CAPS Town Hall

Friday, November 5, 2004

12:00 to 1:00

74 New Montgomery St., 6th floor conference room

Dr. Kimberly Page-Shafer:

The HIV Chemoprophylaxis Trial in Cambodia,

and How the Right and Left Arms of U.S. Institutions and Policy Contributed to the Current Impasse

· Overview of the approach: tenofovir as chemoprophylaxis

· The HIV Prevention Trial in Cambodia: preparations for implementation, what happened in the community and in government

· Issues that need urgent attention: U.S. policy on HIV prevention in sex workers, health care needs of trial participants in HIV prevention trials

· What's next?

Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, M.P.H., is an epidemiologist and an Associate Professor of Medicine at UCSF. Her research is focused on prevention and transmission risk of HIV and HCV infections. She is PI of an NIAID funded clinical trial of once a day chemoprophylaxis to prevent HIV infection in high risk women in Cambodia. She is active on the faculty of the CAPS International Scholars program, working with scholars principally in South America and Asia, and one in Uganda. She is the PI of a NIDA funded prospective cohort study (the Acute UFO study) of acute HCV infection in young injection drug users, and in parolees from California State correctional institutions (HEPCAP II). Dr Page-Shafer is a co-PI of a population-based study of young low-income men from five counties of Northern California, which follows a similar recently completed population-based study in young low-income women.

d. Methods Core Qualitative and Quantitative Seminars

All are welcome to attend these upcoming CAPS Methods Core presentations of the Qualitative Working Group and the Quantitative Seminar Series:

The UCSF Qualitative Working Group presents:

Tuesday, November 2, 2004, 10-11:30am, Large Conference Room, CAPS
74 New Montgomery St., Suite 600, San Francisco

Gertrude Khumalo-Sakutukwa, Ph.D.

HIV-Prevention Strategies of Women in Zimbabwe

Prior to her current position as intervention director for the Community-Based Voluntary Counseling and Testing Study (CBVCT), Dr. Khumalo-Sakutukwa has lived and worked among the Shona of Zimbabwe for the past 20 years. Her work has been predominantly in health-related research, with the last 10 years focused on HIV/AIDS prevention clinical research. Her presentation will describe her experiences using qualitative methods and her fieldwork as part of a research team in a clinical setting in Harare investigating women's HIV prevention strategies. She will describe the challenges and dilemmas faced by women in Zimbabwe in negotiating for safer sex with their male partners. Existing national HIV surveillance data shows prevalence rates as high as 25% among sexually active adults in Zimbabwe, with more women infected than men, suggesting that women are in some way at increased risk than their male counterparts. The talk will explore the questions of how women in Zimbabwe are affected by the HIV epidemic, why they are affected disproportionately to men, and also whether they are able to protect themselves from getting infected.

For more information about QWG or the Qualitative Methods Core please contact Nicolas Sheon (415)597-9109

Methods Core Quantitative Seminars in November and December 2004:

Please note that Dave Glidden's presentation has been moved to December.

November

Friday, Nov. 12, 2004, 9:30-11:00 am, Cancer Center Conference room, Suite 200
74 New Montgomery St., 2nd floor, San Francisco

Debbie Bain, Joyce Balls, Jesse Canchola, UCSF/CAPS

From Quick and Dirty to Complex: The Free EpiData Data Entry System -- Overview and Examples used at CAPS

December

Friday, Dec 3, 2004, 9:30-11:00 am, IGH 5th Conference room
74 New Montgomery Street, 5th floor, San Francisco

Dave Glidden, UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Checking the Cox Model

For more information about the Quantitative Seminar Series, please contact Estie Hudes (415) 597-9126

e. Working group on HIV/AIDS Research on Asians and Pacific Islanders Living in Asia, the Pacific, and Abroad

Tri Do, MD, MPH, of CAPS, is forming a Working Group on HIV/AIDS Research on Asians and Pacific Islanders Living in Asia, the Pacific, and Abroad. The group will convene a bimonthly 1.5-hour meeting at CAPS to hear presentations, discuss articles, learn about ongoing research, and explore collaborative opportunities related to HIV/AIDS research and activities being conducted in Asia & the Pacific, among Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) living in the U.S., and among APIs living in other parts of the world.

Populations of interest

o Men who have sex with men (MSM)

o Migrant workers, migration, globalization

o Sex workers - male and female

o Women, and maternal child health

o Injection drug users (IDUs), substance use

o Lifespan-specific research (youth, adults, older adults)

Research Issues

o Methodologies, including qualitative & quantitative research

o U.S.-specific issues (acculturation, racism, SES)

o International research that UCSF faculty are conducting

o Pragmatic issues (challenges to conducting collaborative research, international political issues, research ethics)

o HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment

o Behavioral, policy, and biomedical research

Tri would like to gauge your interest in such a group. Please send the following information to him at TDo@psg.ucsf.edu:

1. Name, degrees:

2. Email address:

3. Department/Division/Institution:

4. Countries in which you are interested or currently have projects:

5. Research/service areas you are focused on:

6. Your current international partners:

6. News from Center for HIV Information (CHI)

a. Recruiting for a new faculty position

To all at ARI from Dr. Laurence Peiperl:

Dear ARI Colleagues,

I'm happy to inform you that the Deparment of Medicine, Dean, and Academic Vice Chancellor have approved the recruitment of a faculty physician in infectious disease to serve as Medical Director of the UCSF Center for HIV Information (CHI). This physician will play a key role in developing education and training materials to support HIV/AIDS care in programs around the world.

Attached below is the position description, which will appear in upcoming issues of the New England Journal of Medicine and Clinical Infectious Diseases. Please share with all interested parties, and feel free to contact me with any questions or recommendations.

7. News from Epidemiology and Prevention Interventions (EPI) Center

a. K24 Awarded

Dr. David Bangsberg has been awarded a K-24 for training Ugandan junior investigators. Funding $680,000

ABSTRACT

This application is for a Mid-Career Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K-24). My goals in this award are to: 1) Increase research productivity in a resource poor setting and 2) Directed mentorship of promising sub-Saharan African students, medical officers, fellows and junior faculty in designing, executing, and publishing outcomes research relevant to resource-poor settings. My research to date has focused on adherence and health outcomes in impoverished HIV+ drug users in San Francisco. This has included NIMH-funded research on the biology of incomplete adherence (NIMH 54907), Directly Observed Depression Treatment to improve depression and HIV treatment outcomes in depressed homeless individuals (NIMH 63011) and a comparison of Modified Directly Observed Therapy vs. Adherence Case Management (NIMH 64388). This domestic program has identified 9 junior investigators who have collectively published 7 first author publications. More recently, I have expanded my research program to Uganda. With pilot R-21 funding from the NIAAA, we are studying adherence, pharmacokinetics and resistance to generic antiretroviral therapy (NIAAA 014784). This expanding international research program has also identified 4 talented junior investigators (2 Ugandan and 2 US investigators) with 2 manuscripts accepted for publication and an additional 2 in review. The K-24 mechanism is ideally suited to create sufficient protected time to expand this international research program and to provide directed mentorship of these promising investigators. My established relationship with and support of Makerere University in Uganda likely will lead to several additional promising international investigators. Furthermore, this directed goal of expanding international HIV research and mentorship is a priority for my home institution; I have the supportive commitment from my home institution to reduce my clinical and administrative responsibilities to 20% in order to achieve this goal.

b. Research Site in Mbarara, Uganda, opens

PRESS RELEASE

The commissioning of the MUST-UCSF research building on October 25, 2004, marked the onset of a 5-year collaboration between the University of California, San Francisco, and Mbarara University of Science and Technology, located in southwestern Uganda. Dr. David Bangsberg, Associate Professor of Medicine at UCSF and Principal Investigator of the NIH funded HIV/AIDS epidemiological studies set to commence in November 2004 in Mbarara Uganda, stated that his goals were to help develop Mbarara University's infrastructure, train the Mbarara University Investigators to be leaders in the field of HIV/AIDS research in Africa, and lastly, to further the understanding of HIV resistance and treatment outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. In response, the Vice Chancellor of Mbarara Univeristy of Science and Technology, Professor Fredrick Kayanja, thanked UCSF for their efforts in building the research capacity of the University through this collaboration and pledged his support to the program. Professor Kayanja urged the Mbarara University faculty to take advantage of the current and future collaborative research opportunities presented by UCSF to develop their academic interests. Other UCSF faculty and staff present at the opening in Uganda were Dr. Andrew Moss, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Epidemiology, Dr. Mark Eggena, Assistant Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Richard Clark, Project Director of REACH San Francisco, and Nneka Emenyonu, Project Director of the MUST-UCSF Research Collaboration.

c. Recent publications

a. CFAR Extends Deadline for LOI Responses to Call for Applications

b. CFAR to Present International HIV Research Workshop in January - Save The Date!

CAPS Town Hall

November