Scientific Working Group

Project Summary Scientific Working Group (SWG) The HIV pandemic continues to pose significant challenges, with disparities in progress evident in the St. Louis area and Missouri at large. Populations left behind from the benefits of effective prevention and treatment interventions bear a disproportionate burden of new infections, morbidity, and mortality. Black men and women

are particularly affected, with alarmingly higher prevalence rates compared to their white counterparts. Additionally, Missouri's rural regions face elevated risks of HIV outbreaks due to rising syndemics and limited investments in public health. To address these urgent issues, the scientific working group (SWG) of the

Midwest Developmental Center for AIDS Research (D-CFAR), led by Drs. Michael Durkin and Dima Dandachi, aims to establish a collaborative community involving academics, regional stakeholders, and community-based partners. This collaboration will conduct pragmatic, community-engaged, and stakeholder-embedded research

targeted towards neglected populations affected by HIV. The project's success is rooted in two key ingredients: a cohort of passionate emerging investigators from local universities, dedicated to innovative health care delivery and harm reduction principles, and strong partnerships with community-based organizations and

regional public health agencies. The SWG will leverage these assets by facilitating regular interactions between academics and practitioners, fostering idea exploration, and providing funding for academic- practitioner partnerships. The proposed aims are as follows: Aim 1: Develop a multidisciplinary research

collaborative for neglected populations in the Missouri epidemic, comprising researchers, community-based organizations, and public health practitioners. The collaborative will meet regularly, employing the Nominal Group Technique to prioritize research ideas and foster a shared vision for impactful, pragmatic research that

can contribute to ending the HIV epidemic in Missouri. Aim 2: Establish a community-academic research incubator to develop community and practitioner-led proposals for D-CFAR pilot funding mechanisms. The research agenda generated in Aim 1 will serve as the foundation for future research aims. This incubator

program will provide support, mentoring, and coordination to turn ideas into tangible community-based research projects, focusing on partnerships between academic institutions and non-academic stakeholders. The impact of the Neglected Populations SWG will significantly contribute to the overall goal of the CFAR to

enhance research infrastructure in the state. By prioritizing community-based research for neglected populations, the SWG aims to create unique opportunities that combine the expertise of groups with lived/practitioner experience in HIV treatment and prevention with that of academic medical center researchers. This inclusive approach will lead to a substantial increase in novel research proposals and a

strengthened funded research base, ultimately advancing efforts to combat HIV and improve health services for underserved communities.