The Penn Center for AIDS Research (Penn CFAR) is one of 19 NIH-funded CFARs and includes HIV and AIDS investigators at the University of Pennsylvania, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and the Wistar Institute.
Our mission is to support and advance research in all areas of HIV/AIDS on the Penn/CHOP/Wistar campus and in the Philadelphia region by:
- catalyzing innovative collaborative AIDS research through working groups, outreach, partnerships on campus, regionally, and internationally
- providing education through seminars, courses, and workshops
- developing new HIV/AIDS investigators and research programs through pilot funding, mentorship, and partnership programs
- providing cutting-edge research support through innovative shared resource cores that offer unique services, materials, technical education and assistance, and collaborative support
- providing strategic planning on campus with campus, regional, and national HIV/AIDS research leadership
Penn CFAR Cores include the Clinical Core, Virus & Reservoirs Technology Core, Molecular & Translational Immunotechnology Core, Biostatistics & Data Science Core, Community Research & Engagement Core, Implementation Science Core, and International Core.
The Penn CFAR Community Advisory Board (CAB) is organizing Red Ribbon Connect — a voluntary, monthly virtual exchange that pairs CFAR researchers with peer institutions around the world. With each partnership: (1) international researchers will present their current work and localized perspectives on HIV/AIDS in virtual sessions with the CFAR CAB, and (2) CFAR researchers will have … Continue reading Penn CFAR CAB announces Red Ribbon Connect
Longtime Penn CFAR CAB member and community activist and organizer Tyrone Smith has passed away. Tyrone was a true icon in the Philadelphia community. He was part of the ballroom scene in the 1950s and 1960s, and became an activist in the early days of the AIDS epidemic. He was co-founder of Unity, Inc., a … Continue reading Remembering Tyrone Smith
PIK Professor and Penn CFAR HCP SWG Director Dolores Albarracín has been named one of five recipients of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences for her research increasing “our understanding of how attitudes can be changed, particularly with regard to persuasive messages,” the awards committee said.
Robert Gross, MD, MSCE, Penn CFAR Co-Director, is the winner of the 2025 Penn Medicine, Robert Suskind and Leslie Lewinter-Suskind Faculty Prize in Global Health. Dr. Gross was recognized for committing effort to training emerging international scholars over and above his robust domestic and international research portfolios and leadership efforts as Penn CFAR Co-Director. He was commended for a career that propels new discoveries while … Continue reading Robert Gross awarded the Lewinter-Suskind Global Health Faculty Prize
A Q&A with the director of the Penn Center for AIDS Research Ronald G. Collman talks about the current state of AIDS care, work with the City of Philadelphia, and how the Center is supporting collaborations across campus. “CFAR builds bridges across campus and across research groups to catalyze new research projects. The Center is … Continue reading A Q&A with the director of the Penn Center for AIDS Research – featured in Penn Today!
