BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health has been awarded a total of $11.5 million from the National Institutes of Health to explore new ways to identify adolescents and young adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and link them to medical care.
The two new grants are for UAB's leadership and coordination of the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Intervention (ATN), a research network in 15 sites in the United States and Puerto Rico working to curb the epidemic through prevention, testing and treatment for youth ages 12 to 24. Both grants are from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); one grant is $4.67 million, and the other is $6.83 million funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
"HIV infects more than 30 million people globally, and projections show that at least one-half of all new infections each year are happening in youth under age 25. In America, one-third of all new HIV infections are in those under age 30," says Craig Wilson, M.D., a professor of epidemiology and pediatrics in the UAB School of Public Health and principal investigator of the ATN's scientific leadership group and coordination center.
"The ATN develops and tests promising behavioral and therapeutic strategies for HIV-infected youth, and prevention strategies for youth who engage in risky behavior," Wilson says. "These two new awards recognize our efforts, and build on the community-based infrastructure and coalitions already developed by the ATN in 13 cities.
"We need to figure out ways to work with young people to help youth protect themselves and get needed treatment."
Wilson and ATN are partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work within local health departments and community coalitions to increase HIV testing in youth. When HIV is detected early, treatments are more effective and help lower the probability of spreading the disease to others.
The new grants will focus on two initiatives:
About the UAB School of Public Health
The UAB School of Public Health is a community of scholars and professionals working and teaching in varied arenas of public health with the goal of fostering research and best practices crucial to the health of our nation and other populations. The school offers more than 20 areas of study and manages dozens of research and community-service centers. Public health professors and students work with the UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health, the UAB Center for AIDS Research and other departments to strengthen the capacity for HIV research in domestic and international settings.