For more than 30 years, UCSF has been a world leader in HIV/AIDS research and treatment. Under the auspices of the AIDS Research Institute, the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies and IGHS's Global Strategic Information, UCSF researchers and clinicians take the lessons learned in San Francisco and implement them around the world. We conduct research, build capacity in scientists and healthcare personnel, improve data monitoring and use, provide technical assistance to governments, and much more.

Initiatives

AIDS Research Institute (ARI)

The AIDS Research Institute coordinates and integrates all of UCSF’s AIDS research activities from its headquarters at IGHS. An umbrella to more than 50 programs and laboratories here and with our affiliated institutions, ARI stimulates innovation and supports collaboration across scientific disciplines.

Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS)

The Center for AIDS Prevention Studies conducts multidisciplinary and high-impact HIV prevention research, trains HIV scientists, and assists implementing partners with the mission to end the HIV epidemic and associated health and social disparities.

DREAMS Initiative

Global Strategic Information is the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) partner for the DREAMS initiative, which helps girls develop into Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe women. We collaborate with PEPFAR implementing partners to track progress towards the goal of preventing new HIV infections in the most vulnerable adolescent girls and young women in Kenya and Tanzania and Zanzibar.

Epidemiological Surveillance

Our epidemiological surveillance projects involve developing and implementing tools to measure the burden of HIV/AIDS and identify populations in need—such as household-based AIDS indicator surveys and integrated biological-behavioral surveillance surveys for populations at risk of HIV infection—and working with in-country partners to use the data for public health decision-making.

Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES)

FACES is an HIV/AIDS care, treatment and prevention program in western Kenya that focuses on conducting medical and social research to improve care, delivering high-quality health services, and providing training to build local capacity to conduct biomedical and implementation research. FACES is a UCSF partnership with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).

HEALTHQUAL

HEALTHQUAL works closely with Ministries of Health, implementing partners and civil society in ten countries to design and implement large-scale HIV service-delivery improvement activities and facilitate sustainable and institutionalized health facility-level and national quality management (QM) programs.

International Traineeships in AIDS Prevention Studies (ITAPS)

International Traineeships in AIDS Prevention Studies (ITAPS) is a training program for international scientists to learn about scientific and grant writing, mentoring skills, and conducting research on the prevention of HIV transmission in low- and middle-income countries.

Monitoring and Evaluation for Quality Improvement

We help PEPFAR countries understand and use clinic, district, regional, and country-level HIV/AIDS data collected to ensure high coverage, linkage and retention in the continuum of care by strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems for quality improvement for HIV/AIDS care and treatment. This work is part of our measurement capabilities.

Sustainable East Africa Research in Community Health (SEARCH)

The multinational, multidisciplinary SEARCH consortium conducts research to quantify the health, economic and educational impact of early HIV diagnosis and immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment using a streamlined care delivery system in rural communities in East Africa.

Tracking the 95-95-95 Cascade

Global Strategic Information supports countries to meet the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals by 2030: 95% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 95% of all people with diagnosed HIV will receive antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95% of all people receiving ART will have viral suppression. By improving data quality, analysis and use through several projects, we help countries identify geographies and populations with unmet needs and map them to services and resources.

Transfusion Medicine and Hematology Research Training

Our training program in HIV-related transfusion medicine and hematology research for South African professionals aims to develop human research capacity to improve blood safety and the treatment of HIV-related hematologic diseases in South Africa.

Working to Cure HIV

Paul Volberding, MD, discusses how UCSF researchers and partners are working to develop an HIV treatment that results in a normal lifespan, no transmission and no daily medicine.