The city of Washington will soon be a hub for AIDS research thanks to a new grant from the National Institutes of Health.
The approximately $3 million, five-year grant will fund the establishment of a Developmental Center for AIDS Research (D-CFAR), an effort that will be led by Alan E. Greenberg, GW professor of epidemiology and biostatistics.
The mission of the center will be to provide scientific leadership and institutional infrastructure to promote HIV/AIDS research and to develop the next generation of investigators in Washington. The city has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection nationwide.
“The establishment of the developmental CFAR in Washington, D.C., is a major step forward in our ability to confront the HIV/AIDS epidemic in our nation’s capital,” says Dr. Greenberg. “It will encourage junior and established researchers to pursue and develop their careers in HIV/AIDS research and help unite HIV/AIDS researchers from across the District.”
Researchers instrumental in developing the grant proposal are from GW, Children’s National Medical Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Howard University and the D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, as well as numerous community-based clinics throughout Washington, D.C.
The grant will enable participating institutions to support new HIV/AIDS research through pilot grants, access to core research facilities, and programs that enable senior scientists to mentor junior and minority researchers.
“We congratulate Dr. Greenberg and his colleagues at our partner institutions on receiving this NIH grant to establish a D-CFAR in Washington,” says John F. Williams, GW senior vice provost and vice president for health affairs. “We look forward to seeing the results of their research on HIV/AIDS and how it can help address the critical needs of people in our city who are affected by this disease.”
Currently, there are 20 CFARs—17 standard and three developmental—located at academic and research institutions throughout the U.S. The goal for the D.C. D-CFAR is to become a standard center at the end of the initial five-year grant period.
The CFAR program is jointly funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and six other NIH institutes: the National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health.
D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty praised the District academic institutions’ efforts to secure the grant. “The District is leading the fight against the most complex HIV/AIDS epidemic in the nation, and we welcome this first-time opportunity for D.C. to attract the best and brightest scientists to join us,” says Mr. Fenty.