# Core E - BioBehavioral Sciences

> **NIH NIH P30** · MIRIAM HOSPITAL · 2020 · $231,366

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Improving the HIV treatment cascade and future innovations in HIV prevention research requires an integration
of biological and behavioral sciences. The Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research (P/B CFAR) use of an
integrated biobehavioral approach has positioned us at the forefront of translational science to move efficacious
HIV treatment and preventive interventions into real world settings. We have decided to merge our Clinical
Sciences and Behavioral Sciences Cores into one integrated BioBehavioral Sciences Core (BBSC) because
the separate cores had aligned services and similar missions. The newly formed BBSC supports innovative,
integrated medical/behavioral research to improve the HIV treatment cascade and HIV prevention among
vulnerable populations including justice-involved individuals, women, youth, and persons living in hyperepidemic
resource-limited settings. Our diverse biobehavioral services support HIV research in five areas and comprise
our aims: 1) provide access to populations of HIV-infected persons and persons at-risk for HIV-infection,
including associated data. This includes support with participant recruitment, enrollment, and retention to
advance biobehavioral research; 2) provide services to support innovative medical and behavioral data collection
approaches, including methods, tools, and assessments; 3) provide expertise and services related to regulatory
and human subjects' compliance, and the ethical conduct of research for vulnerable populations; 4) provide
expertise and services to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions to improve
HIV prevention and continuum of care outcomes; and 5) provide specialized services for the conduct of
implementation science research and for performing cost-effectiveness research. Examples of the innovative
biobehavioral research supported by our Core includes, the use of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) among
MSM, the study of factors related to the implementation of PrEP, and the use of large databases to examine HIV
outcomes and health care utilization among older persons. Other innovations include a theory-driven approach
to training and networking that extends and deepens the influence of CFAR on HIV science by facilitating new
networks across the region, between cities and states, and in international sites. The Core Co-Directors, Key
Core Faculty, and Core Manager have the requisite skills and expertise to provide the services offered. The
BBSC holds quarterly research-in-progress meetings (alternating location between BU-BMC and Brown-
Lifespan) to review existing projects, brainstorm new research ideas, foster new research collaborations,
promote the use of available datasets and repository specimens, explore the development of compatible cross-
site datasets, review important research articles, and disseminate relevant funding opportunities. The BBSC is
central to the overall mission of the P/B CFAR and promotes an...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9953985
- **Project number:** 5P30AI042853-22
- **Recipient organization:** MIRIAM HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** LARRY K BROWN
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $231,366
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1998-09-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9953985

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9953985, Core E - BioBehavioral Sciences (5P30AI042853-22). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9953985. Licensed CC0.

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