# A Dynamic COVID-19 Community-Engaged Testing Strategy in Alabama (COVID COMET AL)

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2022 · $1,562,049

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Overall
The mission of the UAB CFAR is to support the conduct of cutting-edge research in basic science, therapeutics,
prevention, community engaged research, and clinical manifestations and pathogenesis of HIV and related
disorders. Five core facilities provide vital support for the Center's principal thematic areas of its scientific agenda.
To optimize our CFAR operation, an intensive strategic planning process has established efficiencies through
streamlining its cores from 7 to 5, taking full advantage of existing services provided by other centers on campus,
outsourcing under-utilized services, and allowing for investments in new areas (Specific Aims workshops,
Transplant Tissue Procurement Facility, and Ending HIV in Alabama SWG). The Center includes 185 members
from over 30 divisions and departments within UAB. Over the last 4 years, the UAB CFAR has enabled research
leading to FRB / total funding of $21M / $66M. The majority (62%) was newly obtained in this budget period;
57% of these are related to basic science, 18% to population health prevention and treatment research, 22% to
behavioral epi and intervention research, and 3% to community engaged research. Since our last renewal, the
center has increased the number of young investigators supported by training awards from 7 to 16 (14 women;
5 under-represented minorities, URMs) and invested $1.9M in new-investigator pilot awards yielding $25M in
outside funding. Overall, for our ROI in pilot funding is 13:1 in new extramural grants awarded. The Center helped
recruit 45 new HIV/AIDS investigators in the last 4 years (17 external, 28 new to HIV research), of whom 21 are
women and 5 URMs. Across all cores the CFAR supported 61 unique, NIH-funded projects (FRB) and 404 other
NIH-funded projects, of which 309 were HIV-specific resulting in over 1000 HIV publications, and in the garnering
of strong Institutional support. Over the next 5 years we will:
(1) Continue to enhance the productivity of ongoing research programs by enabling interdisciplinary research
through the provision of critical shared resource facilities and administrative and fiscal management support to
Center investigators (2) Use robust strategic planning methods to identify new research opportunities and
priorities that align with existing CFAR programs and foster new research programs where none are in existence,
but where faculty interest is evident; (3) Stimulate the entry of early stage and established faculty into HIV/AIDS
research programs through mentoring programs for young investigators and through a robust, peer-reviewed
Developmental Grants Program; (4) Provide a central focus for HIV/AIDS research activities at UAB that
emphasize effective communication and collaboration among CFAR members with the wider HIV/AIDS research
community; and (5) Promote faculty recruitment and program development in areas that reflect the ongoing
evolution of HIV/AIDS research in Alabama, the United States, and around ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10355693
- **Project number:** 3P30AI027767-33S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Renee A. Heffron
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,562,049
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-23 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10355693

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10355693, A Dynamic COVID-19 Community-Engaged Testing Strategy in Alabama (COVID COMET AL) (3P30AI027767-33S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10355693. Licensed CC0.

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