# HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention Research Ethics Training Institute

> **NIH NIH R25** · FORDHAM UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $337,805

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The global HIV/AIDS pandemic, shifts in drug use patterns, and advances in intervention research designs, all create new
ethical challenges for studies at the intersection of HIV and drug abuse. To date, there is a paucity of well-qualified
investigators trained to conduct scientifically rigorous studies to inform policies directed at meeting these challenges. The
goal of this renewal is to advance the contributions of the Fordham University HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention Research
Ethics Training Institute (RETI), the only program of its kind, to meet this need. The broad long-term objectives of the
RETI are to train a new generation of scientists who will conduct robust and unbiased designs to inform research ethics
practices sensitive to the unique needs of individuals with and at-risk for HIV and substance abuse and to extend the
program's global impact through online scientific and pedagogical resources. These objectives are met through the
following aims. Aim 1: To increase early career clinical scientists' capacity to conduct rigorous and reproducible
empirical research on HIV and drug abuse prevention research ethics practices and policies. Ethical decisions by
investigators and IRBs/RECs are often guided by subjective interpretations of broadly worded regulations and guidelines.
Empirical data on ethics practices and policies is thus needed to better inform these decisions. Aim 1 will address this
need through the RETI mentored research project (MRP), a multi-year funded research experience in which trainees
receive intensive supervised experience designing, implementing, analyzing and disseminating an original study on HIV
and drug abuse research ethics. The MRP will be conducted in conjunction with the annual RETI Summer Institute that
will build trainee competencies in the unique conceptual frameworks and research designs for conducting studies on
research ethics. Aim 1 will also be achieved through career development activities designed to enhance publication and
grant writing skills and to disseminate trainees' work through a new public webinar series. Aim 2: To increase early
career clinical scientists' capacity to engage communities in the construction of HIV and drug abuse participant
protections. Although community advisory boards (CABs) are now commonplace in HIV and drug abuse research, few
programs teach trainees how to involve appropriate stakeholders in the development of the study design and the
procedures to protect participant rights and welfare. This has often led to limited empowerment of prospective participants
as collaborative partners. Aim 2 will be achieved through Summer Institute seminars on methods to engage prospective
participants in ethics-relevant dialogue and inclusion of community advisory boards at the design and interpretation stages
of the mentored research project. Aim 3: To create and sustain a global information network for enhancing ethical
knowledge and evidence-based ethics practice...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10231416
- **Project number:** 2R25DA031608-11
- **Recipient organization:** FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Celia B Fisher
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $337,805
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2011-04-01 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10231416

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10231416, HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention Research Ethics Training Institute (2R25DA031608-11). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10231416. Licensed CC0.

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