Core Director: Kathleen J. Sikkema
Associate Core Director: Melissa Watt
Funder: NIAID, P30, 2015-2020
Site: Duke University

The Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), an NIH-sponsored initiative (P30 AI064518), aims to promote and encourage intramural collaboration and coordination of all AIDS-related research activities at Duke University. Duke investigators have a rich history of scientific contributions in the arena of basic and clinical AIDS research. By providing the necessary infrastructure and services, the CFAR aims to foster new and ongoing research activities to promote rapid progress in the prevention and treatment of HIV infection. Support is provided to investigators through six Core facilities: Administration, Social and Behavioral Science, Development, Immunology, Biostatistics & Computational Biology, and Clinical.

The Social and Behavioral Sciences Core, directed by Dr. Kathleen Sikkema, provides services to enhance the conduct of innovative, social and behavioral science research, within the context of interdisciplinary HIV research at Duke University. Current priorities are focused on substance abuse and mental health, bio-behavioral studies, collaboration with clinical investigators, and intervention trials. Core services freely available to investigators at Duke include consultation on the development and implementation of social and behavioral research related to HIV/AIDS, including assistance with conceptual development, identification of appropriate measures, study implementation, research design and related methodologies, networking and mentoring, intervention development, qualitative and quantitative methods trainings, peer review of grant applications, and dissemination of findings.