Welcome to the Penn Center for AIDS Research
The Penn Center for AIDS Research (Penn CFAR) is one of 20 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.
The Penn CFAR's mission is to support, encourage and facilitate research in all areas of HIV/AIDS on the Penn/CHOP/Wistar campus by (a) facilitating communication and interdisciplinary collaborations through workshops, working groups, strategic planning efforts, and a seminar series covering all topics in the field; (b) support innovative pilot research in HIV/AIDS through developmental pilot grant programs including nonhuman primate-based research; (c) mentoring and support of junior investigators; (d) services and training in support of HIV research through Shared Cores: Clinical, Viral/Molecular, Immunology, Biostatistics & Data Management; Behavioral and Social Sciences; International; Nonhuman Primate.
Announcements
CFAR CAB Statement on COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter
The CFAR Community Advisory Board released a statement, in solidarity with the Penn CFAR Administrative Core, reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement and offering support and direction to the people of Philadelphia.
See the full June 29th, 2020 statement here.
CFAR Statement on HIV/AIDS and Social and Health Disparaties
In the wake of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and the resulting civil rights movement lead by Black Lives Matter, The Penn Center for AIDS Research released a statement reflecting on the parallels between COVID-19 and the HIV/AIDS crisis and the devastating toll these crises, in combination with systemic racism, have taken on marginalized communities.
See the full June 4th, 2020 statement here.
The Penn Center for AIDS Research is happy to announce a new funding mechanism available to junior faculty CFAR investigators (Instructor and Assistant Professor or equivalent) to obtain targeted data needed for resubmission of a scored grant, or other critical needs that will result in a stronger HIV research grant or related goals. This should be limited to key essential resources for which no other support is available. These grants will be implemented in FY2019, and will be subject to rigorous evaluation and review by the Developmental and Administrative Cores.
Please see the Microgrant Program page for more details.
The Delaney Collaboratory to Cure HIV-1 Infection by Combination Immunotherapy (BEAT-HIV Collaboratory) is a consortium of more than 60 top HIV researchers from leading academic research institutions working with government, nonprofit organizations, and industry partners to test combinations of several novel immunotherapies under new preclinical research and clinical trials.
News
- How to Join a Coronavirus Vaccine Clinical Trial
July 27th, 2020
Ian Frank, M.D., Director of the CFAR Clinical Core, was featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer article about the progress of COVID-19 research and how to help with this momentous effort by volunteering for a vaccine trial. Full article HERE - If These Black-Owned Businesses Fail, the Community’s Health Will Be Harmed
June 17th, 2020
Florence Momplaisir, MD, MSHP, FACP, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, published an Op-Ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer, examining the financial disparities among Black and Latinx small-businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article highlights the integral role that Black-owned barbershops play in their communities and the devastating cultural ramifications of their potential loss. Full article HERE - First-of-its-Kind HIV ‘Nudge Unit’ in South Africa
February 5, 2020
Penn researchers at the Center for Health Incentives & Behavioral Economics (CHIBE) have established Indlela: Behavioural Insights for Better Health. Indlela is a Gates Foundation-funded initiative to build capacity to design and test nudges and other behavioural solutions to improve the effectiveness of health services and achieve better health outcomes in South Africa. The initial 3-year period of Indlela will focus specifically on building capacity to expand the use of behavioural economics within HIV prevention and treatment programs in South Africa. Full article HERE - Testing the HIV Testers
November 8th, 2019
As part of the effort to end HIV in the U.S. by 2030, researchers at the School of Nursing are using mystery-shopper methodology to test the quality of HIV/STI testing for young men who have sex with men (YMSM). “This study’s systematic collection of YMSM’s experiences when seeking HIV testing and prevention services in three large metropolitan areas is an important step toward improving these services for youth,” José A. Bauermeister says. Full article HERE.
Events
- HIV Grand Rounds
Every Thursday
12:00- 1:00 pm, Class of '62 Auditorium, John Morgan Building (unless otherwise posted) - HIV / Pathogenesis CURE Journal Club
Every Other Thursday (See biweekly email for BlueJeans link)
1:30- 3:00 pm, Room 501, Johnson Pavilion or BlueJeans virtual meeting
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