The International Traineeships in AIDS Prevention Studies program (ITAPS) is a training program for international scientists. Its mission is to provide training and to conduct research on the prevention of HIV transmission in low- and middle-income countries. Since its inception in 1988, the program has trained 416 scientists from 56 countries. ITAPS works within UCSF’s Center for Global Strategic Information and Public Health Practice as its Training and Education branch.
The ITAPS faculty and staff are available to support UCSF and other programs that require assistance with research protocol development, data analysis and scientific writing.
We currently offer two programs in the field of HIV prevention research. Since the pandemic, these have become distance learning training programs (via Zoom).
Mentor Skills Training Program
Six to 10 candidates are selected each year to receive intensive training in mentorship skills and subsequently to serve as mentors for participants in the Scientific Manuscript Writing Program. In the following year(s), they are expected to mentor early career investigators in their home countries and regions.
Scientific Manuscript Writing Program
This course is focused on preparing study results for publication in peer-reviewed scientific literature with support from UCSF mentors. Up to 20 new investigators are invited each year to prepare scientific manuscripts, with instruction and mentoring provided by the Mentor Skills Training Program participants and UCSF faculty.
Our program faculty and staff are fluent in several languages, including Spanish, Hindi, Farsi, and Dari. However, instruction and seminars are conducted in English. Because of this, ITAPS scholars must have a good working knowledge of spoken and written English.
In addition to the two programs, ITAPS also partners with countries and non-government organizations to offer training workshops in resource-limited settings on various topics, including scientific manuscript writing, research methods and proposal writing, and data analysis and presentation.
For more information about the ITAPS program, partnering with ITAPS, and in-country training opportunities, please contact ITAPS Deputy Director Ritu Sehgal (Ritu.Sehgal@ucsf.edu).
ITAPS is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health ( R25 MH123256-Krysia Lindan, PI). Additional support for ITAPS scholars is provided through the Vitalant Research Institute and the Starr Foundation.