UAlbany Establishes Center for HIV Research to Address Epidemic
ALBANY, N.Y. — The University at Albany School of Public Health announces the creation of the Center for Collaborative HIV Research in Practice and Policy (CCHRPP), designed to address the public health and social justice challenges of persons placed at risk for, or living with, HIV and related diseases.
New York is an epicenter of the HIV epidemic in the United States, with more persons living with HIV than any other state. The related epidemics of hepatitis C, sexually transmitted infections and opioid use heavily impact New York, affecting many of the same populations placed at risk for HIV. CCHRPP researchers, housed at the UAlbany School of Public Health, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, SUNY Downstate and the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, are taking a life-course view of prevention and treatment for these interrelated epidemics.
“CCHRPP builds on a strong foundation of longstanding academic and research collaborations on HIV and related epidemics between the School of Public Health, the AIDS Institute and their partners,” said Gus Birkhead, professor emeritus at UAlbany and CCHRPP director. “The Center formalizes these relationships and facilitates exploring new and exciting interdisciplinary opportunities for researchers and students.”
Affiliated CCHRPP faculty at the partner institutions are developing and evaluating policy, identifying best practices, building health equity across communities and training public health professionals — with the goal of reducing the incidence of HIV and related diseases in New York State. Throughout all its work, CCHRPP focuses on the social determinants of health and reducing health disparities.
CCHRPP also will establish thought leadership in partnership with the AIDS Institute to guide the completion of New York State’s “Ending the Epidemic” plan to significantly reduce the number of new HIV infections by the end of 2020.
Student opportunities are also available through CCHRPP, with internship and research placements within the AIDS Institute and with studies such as UPSIDE, a project that aims to better understand Hepatitis C and related issues among persons who inject drugs in upstate New York.
To learn more, visit the CCHRPP website.