Building HIV Social Research Capacity in Asia and the Pacific

• 1. Building HIV Social Research Capacity in Asia and the Pacific Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society National Centre in HIV Social Research

2. AHAPI

• In 2005, NCHSR received an AHAPI grant to build HIV social research capacity in PNG.

• Collaboration with PNGIMR (in Goroka)

• 10 research cadets trained full-time for a period of two years, in the classroom and in the field, undertaking real research projects (both quantitative and qualitative).

• Designed to position social research as a central component of the evidence to buildeffective, sustainable responses to the HIV epidemic.

3. What have the cadets done?

• Project on how high school students talk about sex and HIV (focus groups)

• Violence against women- how two villages dealt with the problem (interviews)

• Roll-out of ART in six sites (collaboration with Igat Hope)- survey, interviews with people on ART and clinic staff

• Condom use and access in Tonga and Vanuatu (interviews with young people, sex workers and msm)

4. 5. AusAID Consortium

• Success of AHAPI lead to AusAID setting up the HIV Consortium

• Social research capacity-building a central component of that

• ARCSHS and NCHSR combined to become one entity for the purposes of the Consortium

6. The Consortium: our approach

• NCHSR and ARCSHS are committed to work together through the Consortium to build HIV social research capacity that is long-term, sustainable and indigenous in character.

• We are committed to learning by doing:

• • training through research projects (funded from outside this program)as well as classroom teaching

• • partner in-country researchers in research projects

• • Involvement of vulnerable communities in both research capacity-building and research

7. HIV Social Research Capacity Building

• We aim to:

• • Build institutional links between Australia and priority countries research centres and universities, AND to assist in building links between Asia-Pacific institutions

• • Train new researchers in HIV social research: methods, critical thinking, writing for publication, dissemination

• • Increase understanding of the benefits of HIV-related social research among health workers, policy-makers, NGOs, political leaders, community leaders and members

8. Types of research capacity building For places where little research development and capacityIn-country New researchersLong-term Capacity development (1-2 years) In-depth capacity building NCHSR, ARSCHS Researchers, research leaders Summer schools(2-4 weeks) Builds on aspects of research capacityIn-country Researchers, govts, NGOs, communityShort courses (3 day) Builds relationshipsOther events such as ASHM, ICAAP Researchers and NGOs, community 1-day workshopsUse WhereAimed at? Types 9. Countries we will work in

• Vietnam (and use as a basis for Laos and Cambodia)

• Indonesia

• The Pacific (with Fiji as a base)

• China

• Timor Leste

10. Questions about HIV social research needsin each country?

• Is there a tradition of indigenous social research?

• What social research training is occurring at present?

• What HIV research is being done?

• What particular institutions are likely partners?

• What about NGOs, FBOs and marginalised communities in HIV social research partnerships?

11. The Pacific

• Helping build a Pacific Institute for HIV and STI research at the Fiji School of Medicine

• Partners to include:

• • FSM

• • University the South Pacific

• • Oceania Society for Sexual Health Medicine

• • Secretariat for the Pacific Community

• • Affected communities

• • Other stakeholders

12. Indonesia

• Three levels:

• • National AIDS Commissions Research Working Group

• • Partnerships with Universities to strengthen HIV social research capacity at the institutional level and with staff and students

• • Community-based organisations

13. Timor Leste

• Research capacity very low- HIV social research capacity non-existent

• Project runs alongside NCHSRs Global Fund grant (BSS and qual research in Timor)

• • Training two researchers

• • Building capacity of Institute ofr Health Services and University of Peace and University of T-L

14. Mekong

• ARCSHS building on past experience of work in Vietnam:

• • Build a social research base that will inform the national response to HIV

• • Train new researchers in HIV social research: methods, critical thinking, writing for publication, dissemination

• • Encourage critical assessment of the social aspects of the HIV epidemic in each country and region

• • Increase the use of HIV social research in the Mekong by workshops with stakeholders, MOH and communities

• • Increase HIV social research by twinning with the universities in funding applications for social research projects.

15. Regional Network of HIV Social Researchers

• This project aims to develop a Network of HIV Social Researchers in Asia and the Pacific to:

• Assist in strengthening research institutions anddeveloping individual HIV social research skills

• Support HIV social researchers in the region

• Engender a sense of solidarity through pooling expertise and experience

• Encourage discussion of research and research methods amongst Network members

• Assist researchers in finding out about and applying for research funding - single country, multi-country and regional research

• Assist in research dissemination and knowledge transfer among members

• Assist with publishing

16. AusAID Support for Strategic Research in Indonesia, PNG and the Pacific

• AusAID grant to both ARCSHS and NCHSR, topped up by Universities

• Grant to be used to carry out research with marginalised and vulnerable populations- msm, sex workers, IDUs, mobile populations, and PLWHA

• To be used in conjunction with capacity-building projects