NIH renews five-year grant for UAB’s Center for AIDS Research

This past June, through a competitive review process, the NIH renewed their five-year grant to continue UAB’s Center for AIDS Research pivotal work.
Photography: Steve WoodThe National Institutes of Health renewed a $9 million five-year grant for the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Center for AIDS Research located in the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. 

Alabama is one of the highest HIV-burdened areas in the United States, with only 73 percent of diagnosed people receiving care and 63 percent being virally suppressed.  

Created in 1988, UAB’s CFAR is a dynamic hub for HIV research in Alabama providing vital support to control the epidemic. The center is dedicated to collaborations throughout the world to advance health equity and uplift marginalized populations while focusing on HIV epidemic control.

“The UAB CFAR is focused on growing and strengthening its vibrant and broad platform in support of all domains of HIV research,” said Renee Heffron, Ph.D., director of UAB’s CFAR.

The center plans to use the grant to continue advancing cutting-edge, multidisciplinary science to innovate solutions to meet the needs of people who are living with HIV and affected by HIV. Heffron says CFAR wants to use this grant to further collaborate with partners focused on health equity and building up populations often at the margins.

“By focusing on our mission and shared values, we are well positioned to support high-impact discoveries toward the achievement of HIV epidemic control in Alabama and globally,” Heffron said.