INTRODUCTION
Founded in 1987 and continually supported by a major center grant from
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and a variety of grants from
other public and private sources, the HIV Center is headquartered at the
New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University in upper Manhattan.
It serves as a national and international hub for a network of
research activities and
community outreach. We work with a broad
range of HIV-infected and -affected populations and are committed to responding
to the needs of underserved populations.
 The HIV Center for Clincal and Behavioral Studies was founded in
1987 by Dr. Anke Ehrhardt (left),
Center Director, and Dr. Zena
Stein, Center Co-Director Emerita. (Photo courtesy of Eve Vagg) In all, more than 100 researchers, clinicians,
and support staff support the work of the Center. Affiliated research
is conducted through more than two dozen individual
studies headed by leading investigators from disciplines including psychology,
psychiatry, public health, anthropology, sociology, and social work. The
research projects are supported by
six Cores . Our
research consistently evolves in response to the changing needs of the HIV
epidemic.
The HIV Center comprises three major organizational components:
Cores, Working Groups,
and Research Projects. These components are
staffed by Senior Investigators, Junior Investigators, and other
support staff.
ORGANIZATION
Cores
Crucial infrastructure for
the work of the HIV Center is provided by seven Cores:
Research Projects
The HIV Center is engaged in several principal areas of research
and is currently investigating several projects. You can read
more about these areas by clicking
here. INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND
PARTNERSHIPS
The HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral
Studies is a department within the New York
State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI). Our grants
are administered by the Research Foundation for
Mental Hygiene, Inc., which is responsible for
overall administration of sponsored research
programs carried out by scientists at NYSPI. The
HIV Center is also affiliated with Columbia
University, in particular the Department of
Psychiatry of the Columbia University College of
Physicians and Surgeons and the
Columbia
University Mailman School of Public Health (SPH). The HIV Center also has strong
connections to the Columbia University School of
Social Work and the clinical care centers of the
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC).
HIV Center maintains partnerships with New York
City-based institutions that include the
National Development and Research Institutes,
Inc. (NDRI); Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center; Hunter College; and Albert Einstein
College of Medicine. We work closely with the
Departments of Health of both New York City and
New York State.
The HIV Center is a founder of the New York HIV
Research Centers Consortium, which links 18
major HIV research centers in the New York
tri-state area to promote inter-institutional,
multi-disciplinary collaborations that will
enhance both scientific knowledge and the
dissemination of knowledge to public policy
makers, researchers, and HIV-affected
communities.
The HIV Center has strong alliances with many
community organizations in the greater New York
City area including Harlem United, Gay Men's
Health Crisis, the Minority AIDS Task Force, the
Hetrick-Martin Institute, the
Long Island Crisis Center, and the Hispanic AIDS
Forum.
The HIV Center also has many longer-distance
collaborations with research institutions such
as the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS)
at the University of California at San
Francisco, the Center for AIDS Intervention
Research (CAIR) at the Medical College of
Wisconsin, and the Center for Intervention Research
on AIDS (CIRA) at Yale University. <TOP> KEY ACTIVITIES
HIV Center research has resulted in three key
types of contribution: (1) development of
comprehensive, contextually specific, and
interdisciplinary methodological approaches; (2)
scholarly contributions to the biomedical and
public health literature; and (3) training and
information dissemination for communities
locally, nationally, and internationally.
The HIV Center has developed approaches allowing
us to comprehensively explore the context of
individuals' lives. For example, our
investigations of children and adolescents focus
both on their stage of psychosocial and
psychosexual development on the context provided
by their family units and wider communities. Our
studies with women take into consideration their
relationships with their male partners,
questions of pregnancy, and family life. In
light of this need for comprehensive and
contextual approaches, HIV Center researchers
integrated qualitative and quantitative
methodologies in the development and evaluation
of interventions tailored to a wide variety of
populations.
From the outset, the Center has had a commitment
to interdisciplinary research, drawing upon the
most relevant theories and methods from fields
as diverse as psychiatry, psychology, public
health, sociology, social work, neurology,
biochemistry, and anthropology.
Lines of investigation launched at the HIV
Center have contributed significantly to the
shape of the HIV/AIDS research agenda in the US
and abroad. Among the pioneering areas of HIV
Center research have been the development of
gender-specific interventions; short- and
long-term sexual risk reduction among women that
include methods under women's control; questions
of ethics and policy; issues relating to
children, families, and adolescents; HIV
prevention among people with severe mental
illness; and serodiscordant relationships as the
context for risk reduction and coping with HIV
infection. Our work has resulted in more than
71100 publications that have both contributed to
our body of knowledge and influenced clinical
care, treatment, and services for HIV-positive
and at-risk populations.
Since 1987, HIV Center researchers have
responded to the prevention, care, and clinical
treatment needs of individuals and communities.
Thus, much of our work is conducted with
populations – especially women and members of
ethnic and racial minority groups – that reflect
the evolving HIV/AIDS epidemic in our home city
of New York.
The HIV Center has established alliances with
many community based organizations in New York
City, both to partner in conducting research and
to provide information dissemination and
training. Our weekly Grand Rounds series, held
since 1987, draws representatives of CBOs, basic
scientists, clinicians, and care givers. The HIV
Center Newsletter is a resource for
dissemination of research results, discussion of
ethical issues, and updates on the national and
international issues that affect our work. In March 2007, the Newsletter became
the E-Newsletter reaching subscribers by email.
The HIV Center's international agenda
particularly focuses on South Africa, Namibia,
and Brazil, where we have established
partnerships and research initiatives. At the
same time, we are expanding to other regions,
such as Nigeria, China, India, and Mexico, with
feasibility, pilot, and training programs. <TOP>
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