Marta Mulawa, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar at DGHI working with Drs. Sikkema and Watt, was supported by the Duke CFAR SBS Core to attend a Mentoring Day in advance of the CFAR Social and Behavioral Science Research Network (SBSRN) 10th National Scientific Meeting in October 2016. The Mentoring Day is held annually to connect early career investigators, like Marta, with senior investigators and NIH representatives in the HIV/AIDS research field. Senior HIV investigators like Dr. Michael Blank (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Ralph DiClemente (Emory University), and Dr. Carl Latkin (Johns Hopkins University) shared their thoughts on the complex process of submitting a behavioral science HIV-related grant proposal to NIH. NIH Program Officers like Dr. Susan Newcomer (NICHD) and Dr. Richard Jenkins (NIDA) were joined by Dr. Paul Gaist (OAR) in a panel discussion regarding strategies for applying for NIH research funding. In addition to these thoughtful presentations and panel discussions, mentees had the opportunity to present their own research ideas within small groups to receive individualized feedback on their ideas. In her small group, Marta received feedback from Drs. Latkin, Blank, and Newcomer on her grant idea to examine social network influences on HIV care and ART adherence among adolescent girls in South Africa.
