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== The Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) / Prevention Research Center (PRC) also known as the UCSF Division of Prevention Science ==

The Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) - Prevention Research Center (PRC) is a key program of the AIDS Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). CAPS/PRC is a global leader in HIV research and is the largest HIV research center in the world. CAPS/PRC provides services to foster scientific interaction, stimulate innovation, and enhance the quality of research.

Mission Hall UCSF, Home of CAPS

Mission

The mission of the CAPS/PRC is to end the HIV epidemic and associated health and social disparities by conducting high impact HIV prevention science and building capacity among researchers and communities to effectively address HIV.

History

In 1981, the first cases of AIDS were identified in San Francisco as well as in New York and Los Angeles. Even before HIV was discovered, it was recognized that AIDS was likely a blood-borne, sexually transmitted disease and that behavioral factors were probably associated with its spread. Behavioral scientists in San Francisco investigated behaviors among at-risk populations in San Francisco and the consequences of HIV in the community. The Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) was established in 1986 and focused on the prevalence of HIV disease and risk behaviors. CAPS was stimulated by a request for a proposal, issued by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in 1986, to stimulate research on “mental health and drug abuse aspects of AIDS, ARC, and HTLV-III Infection.” The centers were expected to provide an environment in which “...investigators can pursue basic, clinical, and applied research ...and establish methods for coordinating and integrating center activities with other facilities of the applicant institution and the scientific, clinical, and local community.”

A grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) allowed CAPS to attract a group of scientists and to establish a center of excellence for training medical, social, and behavioral scientists. In 1989, CAPS increased its commitment to training scientists to conduct research in minority communities by focusing our Traineeships in AIDS Prevention Studies (TAPS).

By the early 1990s, the modes of HIV transmission and the epidemiology of risk behaviors were well understood, and some early evidence about the determinants of high-risk behavior were emerging. Hence, CAPS began to focus more explicitly on descriptive studies of the negative consequences of HIV disease and on developing prevention interventions and rigorously evaluating them. For example, CAPS scientists demonstrated the effectiveness of HIV testing and counseling as a prevention strategy. The Technology and Information Exchange (TIE) Core was created to provide a feedback loop between CAPS and the community.

In 1996, with the beginning of the era of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART), CAPS added a new dimension: integration across disciplines. CAPS integrated social, psychological, and biomedical perspectives to understand the impact of HAART on risk behavior and seroincidence. CAPS worked on cross-disciplinary studies of HIV and other diseases or behaviors (e.g., stress and coping studies) and began to develop a portfolio of studies on policy and ethics issues in HIV/AIDS research and care. In keeping with the demographics of the epidemic, CAPS greatly expanded their research portfolio on HIV prevention in ethnic minority communities.

Directors

• Dr. Stephen Hulley 1986 - 1993
• Dr. Thomas Coates 1993 - 2006
• Dr. Steve Morin 2006 - 2008
• Dr. Marguerita Lightfoot 2008- present

CAPS/PRC Research Is:

• Driven by needs that are expressed by the evolving epidemic, service providers, and continuing gaps in the research literature.
• Interdisciplinary in that CAPS/PRC science depends on the integration of the sciences present in CAPS/PRC.
• Conducted locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally.
• Focused on multiple ethnic and cultural groups.
• Focused on vulnerable populations including homosexual and bisexual men (including men of color), adolescents, women, and the urban poor.
• Conducted in collaboration with developing country scientists, community-based service providers, and minority scientists.
• Designed to generate basic science information and innovative interventions and changes in policy to reduce HIV transmission and improve quality of life of HIV infected persons.

CAPS/PRC Structure

CAPS/PRC comprises cores designed to support multidisciplinary and high-impact HIV research, enhance the excellence of research projects, train a new generation of HIV scientists, and assist implementing partners.

CAPS/PRC Centers and Model Programs

• Prevention Research Center (PRC). The PRC program is one of 25 academic institutions funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that conducts applied public health prevention research. The mission of the UCSF Prevention Research Center is to maintain an interdependent network of community, academic, and public health partners to design and implement prevention research aimed at answering significant and innovative HIV research questions and promoting the wide use of practices proven to promote health for those with HIV.

• Center of Excellence for Transgender Health. The Transgender CoE’s goal is to improve the overall health and well-being of transgender individuals by developing and implementing programs in response to community-identified needs. The Transgender CoE actively engages a national advisory board of transgender leaders from throughout the country and brings extensive expertise in transgender health research and best practices for transgender community engagement.

• The Mpowerment Project is a model bio-behavioral community level intervention program that has been specifically designed to address the needs of young adult gay and bisexual men.

• The Positive Project is home to a video archive of over 3,000+ interviews of individuals living with HIV. The Project’s archive contains over 3,000 videos from interviews with diverse individuals living with HIV whose stories address many current and emergent themes within HIV prevention and treatment.

• 
  Prevention Research Center
• 
  Center of Excellence for Transgender Health
• 
  The Positive Project

References

UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention (CAPS) Awarded $8.5M from National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Trainees in AIDS Prevention Studies
Thirty years of AIDS: A timeline of the epidemic (UCSF)

External Links

The Center for AIDS Prevention Studies Official website
Official UCSF Division of Prevention Science Linked In
Official Center for AIDS Prevention Studies Facebook Page
Official Center for AIDS Prevention Studies Twitter
The Positive Project Official Website