The Mid-Atlantic Centers for AIDS Research Consortium: Promoting HIV Science Through Regional Collaboration

Alan E. Greenberg, District of Columbia Center for AIDS Research and George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
David D. Celentano, Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
David S. Metzger, Penn Center for AIDS Research and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Manya Magnus, District of Columbia Center for AIDS Research and George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Michael B. Blank, Penn Center for AIDS Research and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Wendy Davis, Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Durryle Brooks, Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Tiffany Dominque, Penn Center for AIDS Research and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Kathleen R. Page, Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Rupali J. Limaye, Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Ronald G. Collman, Penn Center for AIDS Research and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Richard E. Chaisson, Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Maria Cecilia Zea, District of Columbia Center for AIDS Research and George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Chris Beyrer, Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

3-1-2022

Journal

AIDS research and human retroviruses

Volume

38

Issue

3

DOI

10.1089/AID.2021.0017

Keywords

CFAR; HIV; MACC; consortium

Abstract

The Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) program was established by the National Institutes of Health in 1988 to catalyze and support high-impact HIV research and to develop the next generation of HIV investigators at academic institutions throughout the United States. In 2014, the Penn CFAR, the Johns Hopkins University CFAR and the District of Columbia CFAR developed a partnership-the Mid-Atlantic CFAR Consortium (MACC)-to promote cross-CFAR scientific collaboration, mentoring, and communication and to address the regional HIV epidemic. Over the past 6 years, the creation of the MACC has resulted in a rich web of interconnectivity, which has fostered through working groups on the black men who have sex with men (MSM) and Latinx regional HIV epidemics, joint peer-reviewed publications, and successful collaborative grant applications on topics ranging from HIV prevention in young MSM, transgender women, implementation science, and clinical epidemiology; supported through the MACC Scholars program, cross-CFAR mentoring, joint symposia, cross-CFAR seminar participation, and keynote speakers; and promoted through advisory committees, best practices consultations, and the social and behavioral science research network. The MACC has been highly impactful by promoting HIV science through regional collaboration, supporting a diverse network of scholars across three cities and focusing on the epidemic in underrepresented and marginalized communities. Lessons learned from this consortium may have implications for scientific research centers beyond the field of HIV.

Department

Epidemiology

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS