NIH/PEPFAR Collaboration for Advancing Implementation Science in Prevention of Maternal-Child HIV Transmission (PMTCT) (R01)

The NIH, in collaboration with the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, invites applications for implementation science projects that will inform the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) as they develop more efficient and cost-effective methods to deliver proven interventions for prevention of maternal-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) in PEPFAR priority countries.  In Southeast Asia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia are PEPFAR priority countries.


Globally, over 1,000 children are newly infected with HIV each day, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa; the primary mode of HIV acquisition for infants is through mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.


Research topics may include:
      1.) Optimal ways to enhance identification of HIV-infected pregnant women
      2.) Community-based strategies effectively increase preventative MTCT (PMTCT) uptake and reduce stigma, 
      3.) Does family and male partner involvement to increase PMTCT uptake and successful completion of the cascade and how can family and male partner involvement in PMTCT be increased? 
      4.) In a variety of settings (urban, rural), what are barriers to and effective strategies for providing more complex antiretroviral prophylaxis regimens to HIV-infected women who do not qualify for ART at the present time?
      5.) What strategies are needed to optimize nutrition for the HIV-exposed infants and for their HIV-infected breastfeeding mothers?


There are many other examples of research topics.  Please visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-12-210.html for more information.


The deadline is 28 February 2012, but a letter of intent is due by 28 January 2012.  This grant is worth 1,000,000 USD over two years.