Yale AIDS Research Program Receives $10.7 Million NIMH Grant

The Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) has received a five-year, $10.7 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to add three new research cores and expand the functions of existing cores.

“This new grant will allow us to provide a range of services in support of the many different HIV prevention research projects affiliated with CIRA, such as supporting research design and statistical analysis, and developing community-based research,” said CIRA Associate Director Kim Blankenship, associate research scientist in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale School of Medicine.

CIRA’s mission is to support research aimed at the prevention of HIV infection and the reduction of the negative consequences of HIV disease in vulnerable and underserved populations. The center includes researchers from disciplines such as public health, psychology, law, nursing, biology and management. CIRA’s research partners also include the Hispanic Health Council and the Institute for Community Research in Hartford.

The NIMH grant will provide some support to community-based organizations interested in conducting research through a Community Research Partnership Program, and will help build the research capacity of local organizations, while also ensuring that CIRA’s research reflects the needs and concerns of the community. A new international research core will foster the development of international research and provide support to several international training programs.

Through CIRA’s Development Core’s pilot project mechanism, the center will be able to award small grants to stimulate new research, and convene groups of potential collaborators to work together to respond to grant announcements. CIRA will also be able to help with grant preparation in a number of ways, such as providing assistance with the development of budgets and preparation of other necessary materials, and by conducting literature reviews and convening peer review sessions. The grant will also sponsor various seminars, conferences and other events that will be open to the public, including an annual AIDS Science Day scheduled for April 12, 2002 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The principal investigator on the grant and director of CIRA is Michael Merson, M.D., dean of public health and chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale School of Medicine. CIRA’s deputy director is Peter Salovey, professor and chair of psychology and professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale.