PROJECT SUMMARY– RUSTBELT CFAR UGANDA CORE C Revision Overall The RUSTBELT CFAR is the only CFAR to have a robust international core, the Uganda Core C, which runs advanced virology and immunology laboratories at the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) in Kampala, Uganda, and has long been the centerpiece of the CFAR. We have expanded Uganda's highly productive and unique CFAR activities to include technology transfer of advanced drug resistance, HIV cure, somatic mutation and DNA methylation assays, and advanced clinical virology tools developed by Pitt. The “RUSTBELT CFAR Ugandan Faculty Development Program” will be an intensive two-year experience providing start-up funds, pilot grant awards, salary support, and intensive mentoring in Uganda and through exchange visits to RUSTBELT CFAR laboratories and Cores. We anticipate sponsoring 3 translational investigators or clinical investigators during the current iteration of the Rustbelt CFAR, which is funded until 04/30/2027. Participants’ career development will be fostered by dual mentorship between Ugandan and Rustbelt CFAR mentors, opportunities for hands-on experiences in clinical studies, and coaching and collaboration in preparing competitive NIH grant proposals. Support for faculty development in Uganda will not simply be restricted to Core C activities in Uganda since the entire CFAR clinical and laboratory infrastructure will be used to support technology transfer and promote research with our Ugandan colleagues. We have included annual working visits to the US to promote technology transfer, advanced training, and expansion of collaborative activities. The Clinical Services Core D will provide insights into the maintenance of highly curated clinical specimens and rigorous sample acquisition for translational studies. Our laboratory-based cores, Viral Pathogenesis & Persistence Core E and Systems Biology & Biostatistics Core F, draw on research strengths from both institutions and offer access to cutting-edge emerging technologies for transcriptome and reservoir analyses. Expertise in HIV prevention (SWG2) and sex-based differences in HIV pathogenesis and cure (SWG1) will add new dimensions to Core C’s clinical research opportunities in Uganda. USTBELT CFAR investigators have greatly benefited from attracting talented young investigators from Uganda for advanced training and research in our laboratories. In addition to exposing us to different perspectives on the challenges of the AIDS epidemic from people living and working at one of its epicenters, we benefit from their skills and dedication to research. This new initiative will substantially ameliorate the chronic underrepresentation of translational and clinical researchers from low- and middle-income countries and enhance the diversity of investigators focusing on HIV- focused clinical and translational studies throughout the CFAR.