Mission

The mission of this fellowship program is to recruit, mentor, and train investigators to conduct domestic HIV/AIDS prevention research in communities of color. The fellows will be located in various branches in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), headquartered in Atlanta, GA.

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CDC’s HIV Prevention Research Efforts

CDC's HIV mission is to prevent HIV infection and reduce the incidence of HIV-related illness and death, in collaboration with community, state, national and international partners. CDC’s domestic HIV prevention research efforts are concentrated in the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP),Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP). The mission of NCHHSTP is to maximize public health and safety nationally and internationally through the elimination, prevention, and control of disease, disability, and death caused by HIV/AIDS, non-HIV retroviruses, viral hepatitis, other STDs, TB, and non-tuberculosis mycobacterium. DHAP, in cooperation with other CDC components, administers operational programs for the prevention of HIV and AIDS and conducts surveillance, epidemiologic, and behavioral research to monitor HIV and AIDS-related trends and risk behaviors. The resulting data provide a basis for developing interventions, directing prevention resources, and evaluating programs. Many of these research activities are targeted to reducing racial/ethnic disparities in new HIV infections in the United States. (Click here for an organizational chart of the branches within DHAP and see for specifics on prevention activities.)

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The HIV Epidemic

It is estimated that more than 1 million (1,106, 400 ) adults and adolescents were living with HIV infection in the United States at the end of 2006 and approximately 56, 300 new infections occurred in that year.^1,2 Additionally, in 2008, an estimated 41, 269 persons were diagnosed with HIV infection in the 37 states with long term, confidential, name-based HIV infection reporting.³

Although the diagnosis rate has remained stable in recent years,³ HIV disproportionately affects certain populations. Men who have sex with men (MSM) remain the group most heavily affected by HIV, accounting for approximately 2% of the US population⁴ and more than half of all new infections.² Further, MSM is the only risk group with increasing annual numbers of new HIV infections.² Among racial/ethnic groups, the impact of HIV is greatest among blacks/African Americans. Blacks/African Americans have an estimated rate of HIV diagnoses that is 9 times higher than that of whites and nearly 3 times higher than that of Hispanics/Latinos.³ The lifetime risk for HIV infection is 1 in 16 for African American men and 1 in 30 for African American women.² Finally, Hispanics/ Latinos are also disproportionately impacted by HIV, representing approximately 15% of the US population, but accounting for an estimated 17% of new infection.² The lifetime risk of an HIV diagnosis is 1 in 36 for Hispanic/Latino males and 1 in 106 for Hispanic/Latina females.⁵

Despite the statistics, there is significant evidence that prevention works. HIV counseling and testing reduce risk behaviors and help link persons living with HIV to medical care and treatment. For persons living with HIV and for those at risk for HIV infection, behavioral interventions significantly reduce risk behaviors and sexually transmitted infections. The current HIV incidence and prevalence estimates underscore the need to reach all populations at risk for HIV with effective prevention programs and serve as an urgent reminder that we all--as individuals, as communities, and as a nation--must do more to prevent the further spread of HIV and its devastating effects.

1. CDC. HIV Prevalence Estimates—United States, 2006. MMWR 2008;51(39) 1073-1076
2. Hall HI, Song R, Rhodes P, Prejean J, An Q, Lee LM, Karon J, Brookmeyer R, Kaplan EH, McKenna MT, Janssen RS for the HIV Incidence Surveillance Group. Estimation of HIV Incidence in the United States. JAMA, August 6, 2008;300(5):520
3. CDC. HIV Surveillance Report, 2008; vol 20.
4. Purcell DW, Johnson C, Lansky A, et al. Presentation at 2010 National STD Prevention Conference; Atlanta, GA. Abstract #22896. Accessed September 30, 2010.
5. CDC. Estimated Lifetime Risk for Diagnosis of HIV Infection among Hispanic/Latinos – 37 States and Puerto Rico, 2007. MMWR, 2010, 59(40)1297-1301.

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Fellowship Description

The fellowship seeks four (4) doctoral-level researchers (e.g., behavioral scientists, epidemiologists, social scientists, evaluators, educators, economists, anthropologists, or MDs with research training and/or experience). Applicants must have completed their doctorates within the past five (5) years (i.e., no earlier than May 2006 and no later than May 2011). Applicants with documented evidence of research expertise or experience in communities of color, (i.e., African Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Asians/Pacific Islanders), are preferred.

Four (4) successful applicants will be matched within one of the Branch listed below. Please click on the link for a description of the Branch and activities. Specifics on the training positions will be provided during the interview process and the final selection of activities will be determined by the mentor and the fellow.

• Behavioral and Clinical Surveillance Branch (BCSB)
• Capacity Building Branch (CBB)
• Epidemiology Branch (EB)
• Prevention Program Branch (PPB)
• Prevention Research Branch (PRB)
• Program Evaluation Branch (PEB)

Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to design, conduct, and evaluate scientifically sound, culturally appropriate, HIV/AIDS research in communities of color.

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Applicants

Applicants must have completed all requirements for and been awarded a doctorate within the past five years, i.e., no earlier than May 2006 and no later than May 2011. Successful applicants will be required to re-locate to Atlanta for the 2-year fellowship appointment. Stipends will vary based on educational credentials and related experience. Following are some general guidelines for stipend ranges.

Click here for descriptions of 2002-2011 fellows.

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Required Fellowship Activities

Mentors and fellows will collaborate to develop a list of diverse research activities that they will complete together over the two year training period. These activities will be based on the fellow's area(s) of interest, training, and expertise. The activities listed below represent the minimum requirements that all fellows must complete. Documentation of completion for each activity is required at the end of each year and is the responsibility of both the mentor and the fellow.

1. Produce a first draft of one manuscript for peer review per year.
   The fellow must be first author on a least one manuscript. The type of manuscript produced should be determined by the mentor and fellow.
2. Assist the mentor in developing a research study protocol.
   Examples of this activity include developing a section of an IRB protocol or developing the background and design sections of a Request for Funding Announcement.
3. Develop and deliver an oral or poster presentation at an international, domestic, or CDC scientific meeting (seminar, branch meeting, TRIP, etc).
4. Attend and participate in a CDC-sponsored site visit for a funded research study.
5. Assist the mentor in a review of a manuscript for a peer-reviewed journal.

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Office Support

Office Support will include office space, computer, appropriate software, phone, mail and clerical services and other equipment as required and approved. Funds for travel will be available as appropriate

Click here for Questions and Answers.

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Application and Deadline

Applications will be accepted no earlier than November 1, 2010 and no later than December 31, 2010.

The fellowship will begin August 1, 2011 and end July 31, 2013.

Click here for a PDF version of the application materials.

Click here for a Word document version of the application materials.

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For more information contact:

Dr. Donna Hubbard McCree
Associate Director for Health Equity, CDC/NCHHSTP/DHAP

This web page was prepared by the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities under DOE contract number DE-AC05-06OR23100.

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