Health Services Research Scientific Working Group (HSR SWG)
Duke CFAR’s cross-disciplinary forum for innovation in HIV-related healthcare delivery
CORE MISSION:
The purpose of the Duke CFAR Health Services Research Scientific Working Group is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for health services researchers across Duke to engage in collaborative discourse with the goal of creating innovative approaches to addressing critical gaps in the delivery of comprehensive HIV care services to persons with HIV domestically and globally.
The strategic aims of the SWG are to :
- integrating cross-cutting scientific expertise into the Duke CFAR HSR activities
- provide a symbiotic forum for Duke CFAR researchers to engage collaboratively with the Durham County Department of Public Health to increase collective impact of their work
- foster collaboration between SWGs focused on equitable HIV care delivery across the South.
FORUM CONFIGURATIONS:
Concept reviews: SWG members present HSR research concepts in early development and receive constructive feedback on these ideas from SWG members with complementary expertise and some instances matched with investigators who are content or methodological experts, with the goal of refining promising scientific lines of inquiry. The reviews are open to all health services investigators regardless of SWG membership.
Investigator updates: SWG members present brief highlights of recent research developments in members’ programs of research with the goal of encouraging expert insights and collaboration opportunities through the SWG
RFA/NOSI reviews: SWG directors organize in-depth discussions of HSR-relevant funding opportunities for SWG investigators to align individual and collective interests and expertise with an emphasis on providing new lines of investigation to mentees and ESI;
Data-driven discussions: Aligning the SWG mission with Duke's HIV clinical practice, these discussions start with clinic-wide assessments of emerging trends of interest to HIV clinicians or HSR researchers observed in the Duke HIV clinical practice. An overview of these trends are presented to the SWG for open discussion and emergence of potential novel lines of inquiry to gain better understanding of these observations from contemporary HIV clinical practice.
Interested in having your HSR concept reviewed, an RFA of interest discussed or just joining the SWG?
- Concept Review
- Membership inquiry
- Request for RFA/NOSI discussion
- Topic Request for Clinic-informed data-driven discussion
Lance Okeke MD, MPH
Director
Lance.okeke@duke.edu
Charles Muiruri, PhD, MPH
Co-director
Charles.muiruri@duke.edu
Biomedical Prevention Scientific Working Group
THE BIOMEDICAL SWG HAS CLOSED AS OF JULY 2022. PLEASE REACH OUT TO MEHRI MCKELLAR (mehri.mckellar@duke.edu) OR JOHN MITCHELL (john.mitchell@duke.edu) IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR AN INTEREST IN COLLABORATING ON THIS TOPIC
The Biomedical Prevention Scientific Working Group (SWG) was established in 2017 and tasked with proactively fostering and supporting new research ideas and synergistic collaborations in biomedical HIV prevention research. Since initiation, we have established this SWG as interdisciplinary with respect to leadership and membership, fostered inter-CFAR and community relationships, and supported the development of numerous grant proposals to meet the critical need for HIV prevention strategies to decrease rates of HIV incidence in at-risk populations. Our efforts are primarily focused on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), for populations at risk of HIV in the Southern U.S., specifically Black men who have sex with men (BMSM), Black women, Latinxs, and people who inject drugs (PWID). Our CFAR is strategically positioned to address the Southern HIV Epidemic given our geographical location, the expertise in our institution and community, and Duke’s established HIV PrEP Clinic. We are also well-aligned with the goals of the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EtHE) initiative, and have established extensive partnerships in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, which is one of the 48 counties identified with the highest number of new HIV infections in the U.S. This has led to several grant submissions from our SWG in response to the recent EtHE proposals.
The goals of the Biomedical Prevention SWG are:
- Foster interdisciplinary, collaborative, biomedical HIV prevention research among new and established HIV and non-HIV investigators within Duke and across institutions, with a focus on populations at risk for HIV in the Southern U.S.
- Support innovative and rigorous biomedical HIV prevention research among Duke investigators by providing opportunities for peer contribution during research development and implementation
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Director - Mehri McKellar, MD |
Co-Director - John Mitchell, PhD |
Previous CFAR Scientific Working Groups
- HIV and Aging Working Group (2013 - 2016)
- AIDS-Associated Opportunistic Infections and Cancer (AOIC) Working Group (2012 - 2017)