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Georgetown is 1 of 6 institutions in new District of Columbia Center for AIDS research
Georgetown University Medical Center
(April 27, 2015) - An interdisciplinary, city-wide consortium of institutions,
including Georgetown University Medical Center, has received a significant National Institutes
of Health (NIH) grant to establish the District of Columbia Center for AIDS Research (DC CFAR).
The consortium, led by George Washington University, also includes Howard University, American
University, the Children's National Medical Center and the Washington DC VA Medical Center. The
five-year NIH grant totals approximately $7.5 million.
The mission of the DC CFAR is to expand the multi-institutional effort to support research that
contributes to ending the HIV epidemic in Washington, DC, and beyond in partnership with
government and community.
" Exceptional Consortium "
"With this award from the National Institutes of Health, the District of Columbia and the DC Center for
AIDS Research arrive as a premier destination for HIV research in the country," said Washington Mayor
Muriel Bowser, who also congratulated the "exceptional consortium of academic institutions and
researchers" in Washington. "This opportunity will attract and support scientists for new
and exciting research breakthroughs to end the HIV epidemic," she said. "This city-wide
collaboration began with the creation of the DC HIV/AIDS Institute in 2005 and
continued with initial funding from the NIH in 2010 to establish the
DC Developmental CFAR," says DC-CFAR Director Alan E. Greenberg, MD,
MPH, of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the
George Washington University.
The DC Developmental CFAR was established to develop a strong research infrastructure and collaborative
network of HIV investigators with the goal of becoming a full CFAR.
Georgetown Leadership
The DC CFAR will provide HIV investigators with significant pilot award funding opportunities and
mentorship through its Developmental Core, and with expanded services through the Basic Sciences,
Clinical and Population Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences Cores.
Georgetown's Princy Kumar, MD, directs the clinical and population sciences core, which provides
clinical, epidemiologic and biostatistical services; recruitment and retention consultation and
support; and access to biological samples and clinical databases from new and existing
studies and networks. Kumar is professor of medicine and microbiology at Georgetown
University School of Medicine and chief of infectious diseases at MedStar
Georgetown University Hospital. One of the most established programs
affiliated with the consortium is the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS),
based at Georgetown. Led by Mary Young, MD, assistant professor of medicine,
WIHS is an ongoing observational study that began in 1993, with goals to understand
and describe the progression of both treated and untreated HIV infections among women.
Pilot Funding
Two new scientific working groups will be created to promote and support scientific research in the
District on HIV cure research and HIV prevention research in high-risk populations. An example of
such funding for high-risk populations is the recent grant awarded to Jennifer Z. Huang Bouey,
PhD, MPH, MBBS, the Susan H. Mayer Professor in Health Equity at the School of
Nursing & Health Studies. She received a $50,000 grant for a one-year
pilot study to develop best practices for surveying HIV risk factors
and collecting immunity biomarkers from local and visiting
high-risk women in Washington. Prior to this funding
round, there were 17 CFARs and two Developmental
CFARs including the DC Developmental CFAR. The
NIH CFAR program emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary and translational collaborations
between basic, clinical, prevention and behavioral investigators, with an emphasis on the
inclusion of women and minority investigators. The CFAR program is jointly funded by
the NIAID, NCI, NICHD, NHLBI, NIDA, NIMH, NIA, NIDDK, NIGMS, FIC and OAR.
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About Georgetown University Medical Center
Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally ranked; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization, which accounts for the majority of externally funded research at GUMC including a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health.
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Media Contact
Karen Teber
km463@georgetown.edu
http://gumc.georgetown.edu
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/gumc-gio042715.php
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