Grant: HIV/AIDS Population Health and Health Services

This proposal describes an innovative national research network, the CIHR HIV Prevention Social Research Centre, to be housed at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. We are responding to the need for leadership in developing integrated programs of prevention research, capacity building and knowledge translation, aimed at improving services, increasing resilience, decreasing vulnerability to HIV, and ultimately achieving a reduction in HIV transmission. In the earlier phases of the HIV epidemic, focus was on rapid development of essential services and achievement of urgent near-term goals in prevention and care. As the epidemic continues and new issues and vulnerable populations emerge, we need more than ever to pursue longer-term goals with multilevel interventions grounded in increased understanding of social and cultural driving forces. Through strong multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaborations, and through capacity building and KTE activities with policy and community partners, the Centre will develop multi-site, theoretically and methodologically novel approaches to HIV prevention and intervention research, will support promising trainees/students and attract new researchers to the field. Our working model is a public health approach which integrates multi-level analyses of vulnerability and risk, ensuring KTE across research, program and policy domains.