California HIV/AIDS Research Program Awards $2.1 Million For New HIV Policy Research Centers

Los Angeles, Calif., July 2, 2009 -- The California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CHRP) of the University of California has awarded grants totaling $2.1 million over three years to two collaborative HIV/AIDS policy research centers, the UC Office of the President announced today.

These new centers will assess existing HIV care and prevention delivery systems and will use applied policy research to support a statewide effort to develop HIV service models in California. The goal is to determine the most efficient and effective means to ensure sustainability, broad coverage, and maximum impact in view of the current economic climate and the need for health care reform.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) at UCSF will collaborate with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Project Inform to conduct innovative, high-impact analyses of HIV policy issues, particularly related to care and prevention services, and to share research findings with policy-makers.

In Los Angeles, faculty at the UCLA School of Public Affairs and the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services will collaborate with AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) to study the geographic distribution of publicly funded HIV prevention and treatment services in relation to populations at high risk for HIV infection and persons living with HIV/AIDS. They will also study the efficiency and effectiveness of alternative approaches for delivery of publicly funded HIV services.

In announcing the awards, George Lemp, Dr.P.H., Director of the UC-based CHRP, said, "UC is pleased to support this effort to evaluate potential new approaches for the delivery of HIV care and prevention services. This collaborative approach to applied policy research offers tremendous value to California, particularly at this time when information is needed to help guide strategies for health care reform. These research teams have the opportunity to lead the nation in HIV-related policy and to advise California decision-makers on cost-effective strategies for HIV prevention and care."

The UCLA and APLA collaborative center will be led by Dr. Arleen Leibowitz, a Professor of Public Policy at the UCLA School for Public Affairs, and Phil Curtis, Director of Government Affairs at APLA. Mr. Curtis has previously advised Congressional offices on issues associated with HIV, Medicare and Medi-Cal. Dr. Leibowitz has published on the relationships between state financing for HIV and health outcomes.

Dr. Leibowitz said, "The UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) and the UCLA School of Public Affairs are extremely pleased to be a part of the new California Center for HIV/AIDS Policy Research. The Policy Research Center will assist California HIV/AIDS policy-makers by producing high quality, up-to-date information for them in order to continue to maintain the highest level of quality programs and services to the diverse California populations affected by the disease."

Mr. Curtis at APLA said, "The decision to fund this research could not come at a more critical time. California has the second largest HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country. New infections are on the rise while public awareness of HIV/AIDS has declined. Budgets for HIV/AIDS programs are under duress at all levels -- federal, state and local. This grant will provide California public health policy-makers with the kind of relevant and timely evidence they need to craft targeted cost-efficient programs to address the epidemic."

The UCSF, San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Project Inform collaboration will be led by Dr. Stephen Morin, Professor of Medicine and Director of CAPS at UCSF, by Dr. Judith Auerbach, Vice President for Science and Public Policy at the Foundation, and by Dana Van Gorder, Executive Director of Project Inform, a national patient information and advocacy organization. At UCSF, Dr. Morin has previously studied the ramifications of alternative approaches to federal funding of AIDS-related services on California jurisdictions, and collaborated with Dr. Leibowitz on an assessment of California’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). Dr. Morin said, "Our goal is to provide scientific evidence for policy decisions about HIV prevention and care. The results of our research will be of immense practical value to local, state and federal policy-makers."

Dr. Auerbach, Mr. Van Gorder and Mr. Curtis will work to ensure that a wide range of people participate in defining high priority areas for study, and in helping to assess and share research findings with those who can use the information.

Dr. Auerbach said, "This partnership will provide timely analysis and rapid response to HIV policy issues that will enable the San Francisco AIDS Foundation to meet our goals of reducing new HIV infections, empowering all adolescents and adults to know their current HIV status, and ensuring all HIV-positive people have access to appropriate care and treatment."

UC’s California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CHRP) provides state funding for merit-reviewed HIV-related research conducted at nonprofit research institutions and community-based organizations throughout California. The program has awarded more than 2,000 research grants to more than 50 California institutions since 1983. CHRP provides start-up funds for the development of cutting edge research by investigators based in California, providing critical leverage in competing for and bringing subsequent federal and private resources to the state. A 2006 survey of California investigators found that more than five dollars in federal and other grant support was generated for every dollar invested by CHRP in California-based research.

For more information about the California HIV/AIDS Research Program, please visit: http://chrp.ucop.edu/

AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. Marking 25 years of service in 2008, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national and global reach. For more information, visit www.apla.org.