Background
HIV/AIDS remains a major public health threat in the state of Georgia. As one of the eleven states in the U.S. Deep South, Georgia is part of the region leading the nation in HIV/AIDS diagnosis, illness, and death. The state of Georgia ranks second in the number of adults and adolescents living with HIV. Macon is located within the North Central Health District, which has the 7th highest number of people living with the infection in 2012 in the state of Georgia. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) national HIV surveillance database graphically represented by AIDSVu show that Macon, is part of a cluster of counties with the highest range of HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the state of Georgia. Given the burden of HIV/AIDS in our city, Macon, there is significant need to focus attention on creating awareness about this infection, educating groups about prevention and risk reduction and designing and implementing relevant and sustainable community-based interventions. There is also pertinent need to continue to conduct community-based research to better understand the underlying drivers of the epidemic in the city.
HIV/AIDS Summer Institute: Mission
This summer institute seeks to train and equip young adults in Macon with relevant research, professional and practical skills for community-based HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention.
Goals and Objectives
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To provide in-depth knowledge about the pathology and epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in general, but focusing on the city of Macon in particular;
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To provide training on the ethical foundations of community-based research
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To train participants in a variety of social-behavioral HIV/AIDS research methods
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To equip participants with practical skills for community-based HIV/AIDS advocacy and activism
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To train participants in the design and implementation of community-based HIV/AIDS interventions
Target Areas
Given my interest in disseminating findings from my study in Macon, I designed and directed a HIV/AIDS Summer Institute in July 2017. Although creating a formal project for the dissemination of findings from my study was the central goal for this institute, I incorporated a variety of other goals and objectives. The mission of the summer institute was to train and equip young adults in Macon with relevant research, professional and practical skills for community-based HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention. The target areas for this institute are represented in the diagram below.
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Funding: $3,700. Faculty Development Seed Grant, Mercer University.
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Study Duration: July 3rd –July 31st - 2017
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Co-Principal Investigator: Harold Katner, Chief of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Internal Medicine, Mercer University
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