WEEKLY UPDATE
October 14, 2022
FEATURED NEWS
Whitman-Walker Receives an NIH Award to Develop a Community-Based Facility to Support HIV Research
Whitman-Walker has received an award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) award to develop a "Community-Based Facility to Support Next Generation Biomedical HIV Research". This state-of-the-art HIV research space "will be a part of the new Max Robinson Center, Whitman-Walker’s future flagship building, which will be located on the St. Elizabeths East Campus redevelopment project in DC’s Ward 8." Once constructed, this research facility will be jointly overseen by Whitman-Walker and the George Washington University, with the longer term goal of making these HIV research facilities available for collaborative use by members of the DC CFAR. Senior Director of Research at Whitman-Walker Institute and DC CFAR Executive Committee Member Dr. Jonathon Rendina (PI) shared that “this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dramatically expand our capacity to conduct cutting-edge HIV research in a space that centers community and fosters cross-institutional collaboration”.

Click here for more information.
MPX RESOURCES
Below you will find several resources of interest developed and gathered by DC CFAR partner institutions and community-based organizations. We encourage you to send information that may be of interest to our DC CFAR community to CFARinDC@gmail.com.

The closing day at USCHA featured a final plenary session focused on the National MPX Response. For more information click here.
NEWS FROM THE DC CFAR
Register Today! DC CFAR Basic Sciences Core Seminar Series Featuring Dr. Xiong Jiang
Please join the DC CFAR Basic Sciences Core for another installment of the Seminar Series on Friday, October 28 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm ET. This virtual event will feature a presentation from Dr. Xiong Jiang (GU) on his recent publication titled "Cingulate transcranial direct current stimulation in adults with HIV."

Click here to register.

Recording Now Available: My Path to Independence in HIV Research Featuring Dr. Lisa Bowleg

On Wednesday, October 5, 2022, the Developmental Core hosted the DC CFAR Lecture Series, My Path to Independence in HIV Research. The event featured Dr. Lisa Bowleg. The recording is now available on the DC CFAR site. To learn more about Dr. Bowleg's current work, click here: Intersectionality Training Institute.

Click here for more information.
CFAR Adelante Hosts Mid-Cycle Retreat and Workshop
On September 29-30 the CFAR Adelante Program hosted a two-day in-person Mid-Cycle/Close-out Retreat & Skills Building Workshop. This program is a collaboration between the Emory CFAR and DC CFAR funded by NIH/NIMHD and supports early career investigators to conduct HIV research in Hispanic and/or Latina/x/o communities.

The Mid-Cycle Retreat and Close-out Workshop on the 29th featured opening remarks from DC CFAR Director Dr. Alan Greenberg, a CFAR Adelante Mentor Presentation by Dr. Carlos Rodríguez-Díaz, and a presentation entitled "Building Lasting Partnerships: Strategies and Practices for Community-Academic Research Collaborations" from Drs. Nina Yamanis and Suyanna Linhales Barker (La Clinica del Pueblo). During the meeting, Cohort III and IV Adelante Teams provided presentations and updates on their projects including award recipient Dr. Leah Varga who presented on her Adelante project, "Latinos Living with HIV in DC: Exploring experiences in engagement and retention in care".

The Business of Science Skills building Workshop on the 30th provided an opportunity for Adelante Scholars to receive mentorship and training around conducting the Business of Science. The workshop featured presentations from multiple CFAR Investigators and Community Partners including Drs. Amanda Castel, Deanna Kerrigan, Carlos Rodríguez-Díaz, Marta Catalfamo, DeMarc Hickson, and Angela Suarez.

The Cohort V CFAR Adelante Application Cycle is currently open and accepting concept proposals (due November 10, 2022). For more information on this funding opportunity, click here.

Click here to learn more about the CFAR Adelante Program.
Join the DC CFAR Developmental Core Virtual Seminar Benchside to Community on HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders
Please join us for the DC CFAR Developmental Core Virtual Seminar Benchside to Community on "HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders: A Brain Imaging Guided Treatment" on Friday, October 21, from 12:30-1:30 PM.

The goal of this seminar is to:
  • Build a conversation between researchers and community members on their perspectives of HIV cure research.
  • Showcase underrepresented people in the field and share their stories and motivations behind their research.
  • Foster collaboration, discussion, and public awareness on HIV cure research.
The seminar will include a presentation by Dr. Xiong Jiang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Georgetown University, followed by a Q&A and discussion with Mr. Moisés Agosto-Rosario, Director of Treatment at NMAC and DC CFAR Community Co-Lead of the Aging and Comorbidities SIG, and Ms. Samia Abdallah, an undergraduate student and DC CFAR CDEIPI Scholar at George Washington University.

Click here to register.
DC CFAR Members Participated at the USCHA 2022
We are pleased to share the following DC CFAR members who participated in the US Conference on HIV/AIDS on October 8-11, 2022 held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This year's conference has pivoted to address the impacts of MPX and Hurricanes Fiona and Ian had to the region.

DC CFAR Investigator Dr. Carlos Rodríguez-Díaz will present during the opening Plenary Session: HIV in Puerto Rico and Latinx Communities. CPC Member Ms. A. Toni Young and Community Education Group (CEG) will host multiple workshops throughout the conference and CPC Member Ms. Martha Sichone Cameron with International Community of Women Living with HIV North America (ICW NA) is hosting two workshops and a poster presentation described below.
  • Poster: "Healing Together our Collective Experience Overcoming Trauma"
  • Workshops: "Breast & Chest Feeding Guidelines: Race, Gender and Criminalization" and "Healing Together to Busting Stigma and Mental Health"

For more information, click here.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Do you have an event you would like to see included in the next edition of the Community Spotlight? We invite any news or updates from the DC CFAR community and encourage you to send information that may be of interest to CFARinDC@gmail.com.
COVID-19 UPDATES
DC CFAR partner institutions and community-based organizations have developed numerous excellent COVID-19 resources. We've included a collection of these here, along with a number of other opportunities for your reference. We will continue to update these resources in the days ahead and we encourage you to send information that may be of interest to our DC CFAR community to CFARinDC@gmail.com.
WORKSHOP AND CONFERENCES
FUNDING, TRAINING AND MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES
The PHACS released a call for Early Career Investigators who are interested in maternal/child, adolescent, or young adult HIV research. For more information on eligibility requirements, key dates, and application format requirements, please click here.

The DC CFAR is recruiting for the Center Associate position, this person will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating project communications, research activities, and scientific services provided across eight partner institutions in Washington, DC. For more information see the job posting here.

This NIH opportunity invites applications from community organizations including non-traditional industry and non-profit organizations and aims for community organizations to lead research efforts in collaboration with research partners.

The HIV Vaccine Trials Network's Research and Mentorship Program (RAMP) application for the 2023-2024 cycle is now open. RAMP provides structured mentorship and project funding for African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Islander medical students.

Google is launching a Health Equity Research Initiative with the objective of advancing health equity research and improving health outcomes for groups disproportionately impacted by health disparities and/or negative social and structural determinants of health. Click here for more information.

The website has been completely redesigned with modern data visualizations and dashboards, expanded study and publication search capabilities, a tutorial and links to PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse released the Racial Equity Initiative to organize the Institute’s efforts to eliminate racism in NIDA’s workplace, scientific workforce, and research portfolio. Including a number of funding opportunities here.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) released a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to identify new opportunities for cure interventions administered during active HIV infection at or near the start of antiretroviral therapy (ART) or as a potential replacement for conventional ART, with the ultimate goal of achieving a sustained ART-free HIV remission.
NIH FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-DA-23-061
Posting Date: October 4, 2022
Closing Date: November 14, 2022

Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-DA-23-062
Posting Date: October 4, 2022
Closing Date: November 14, 2022

Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-CA-22-056
Posting Date: October 3, 2022
Closing Date: December 15, 2022

Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-CA-22-057
Posting Date: October 3, 2022
Closing Date: December 15, 2022

Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-CA-22-051
Posting Date: October 3, 2022
Closing Date: December 28, 2022

Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-22-241
Posting Date: September 21, 2022
Closing Date: January 7, 2023

Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-22-204
Posting Date: September 9, 2022
Closing Date: January 7, 2023

Click here for additional funding opportunities available from the National Institutes of Health.
The DC CFAR is an NIH funded program (P30AI117970), which is supported by the following NIH Co-Funding and Participating Institutes and Centers: NIAID, NCI, NICHD, NIDCR, NHLBI, NIDA, NIMH, NIA, NIDDK, NINR, NIMHD, FIC, and OAR. The content isthe responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.