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University of California, Los AngelesProgram Director - This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it (Bio)
University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health Participating Countries: Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam The UCLA AITRP was initiated in 1988 with the objective of training health professionals from developing countries in multidisciplinary research for prevention of HIV infection, transmission and disease progression, and effective clinical management of HIV-infected individuals. The initial collaborating countries were Thailand and China . In 1993, the UCLA AITRP focused on countries in Asia with high HIV prevalence, and added Myanmar , Vietnam , India , Indonesia , Laos , and Cambodia . The UCLA AITRP provides multidisciplinary master's and doctoral level training to health professionals in the area of HIV/AIDS, maintains research relationships with former trainees, and assists collaborating countries in developing and implementing independent local research on HIV prevention. One of the strengths of the UCLA AITRP is the use of a liaison in each of their collaborating countries. The liaison selects trainees for the UCLA/ AITRP and assists the trainee in the selection of an appropriate thesis or dissertation topic. UCLA AITRP also has a three-month intensive training program at UCLA intended for health professionals already working in the field of HIV/AIDS control. These postdoctoral fellows learn about the latest developments in HIV/AIDS research, as well as epidemiologic methodologies. In addition, they provide 6-12-month postdoctoral training in immunology and virology in situations where it is essential to strengthen the resources in the collaborating country. Another purpose of the UCLA AITRP is to train and encourage graduates of the program to develop proposals for grants. These include UCLA AITRP pilot studies, as well as successfully applying to other funding agencies such as the World AIDS Foundation, NIH, CDC, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the University of California Pacific Rim Program, University of California's Office of AIDS Research, the World Bank, Saliva Diagnostic Systems, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). |
The AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP) began in 1988 as one of the first of a new generation of research training programs sponsored by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These programs provide training for scientists from institutions in low- and middle-income countries to strengthen HIV-related research and public health capacities at their institutions.