DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The general aim of our Latino HIV/AIDS Behavioral Science Center (LHABSC) at Florida International University (FLU) is to further the development of high quality and rigorous research on the extent and nature of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among Latino persons of Cuban, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Colombian, Nicaraguan, and Honduran descent. A secondary aim is to advance our knowledge base regarding the development of interventions that could effectively prevent the continued growth of this epidemic among Latinos residing in the Miami-Dade County, Florida area, particularly in the city of Miami. To achieve the proposed aims, the LHABSC will be organized into an Administrative and Evaluation Core, a Pilot Studies Core, a Training Core, and a Community Outreach/Dissemination Core. The Administrative and Evaluation Core will provide scientific leadership and maintain administrative oversight of the Latino HIV/AIDS Behavioral Science Center. The Pilot Studies Core will provide start-up funds for new, innovative pilot projects that contribute to our understanding of HIV/AIDS among Latino populations in the Miami area. Based upon an internal peer review system, each year three junior faculty members from CHUA or the Departments of Psychology and Sociology/Anthropology at Flu will be selected to conduct one-year pilot research projects that will be likely to contribute important new knowledge concerning HIV/AIDS among Latinos and may lead to extramural research funding. The Training Core will provide extensive training experiences in the conduct of HIV/AIDS research with Latino populations in the Miami-Dade area to faculty and students at FI from the College of Health and Urban Affairs and from the Departments of Sociology/Anthropology and Psychology. The primary objective of the Training Core activities will be to foster the development of the faculty member and graduate student participants to become independent HIV/AIDS researchers. The Community Outreach/Dissemination Core will partner with health care and community-based outreach organizations providing HIV/AIDS services to Latino communities within the Miami-Dade area at highest risk for HW infection. Efforts will be made by the staff of the Community Outreach Dissemination Core to provide health care providers and community based agencies serving these at-risk communities with evidence-based information on the best practice prevention education models developed to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Latino communities.
