The mission of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Project Team (BSSPT) is to enhance the integration of behavioral and social sciences (BSS) into biomedical HIV clinical research, including clinical trials of HIV vaccines, non-vaccine prevention, therapeutics, and cure research, to better address the HIV epidemic.
Behavioral and social sciences have contributed to our understanding of HIV prevention and treatment since the beginning of the epidemic. BSS has been successfully integrated into HIV clinical trials by developing multidisciplinary research teams and including behavioral and social scientists on research concept and protocol teams from the earliest stages of study development.
Journal Special Supplement
The NIAID-NIMH BSSPT is collaborating with the Journal of the International AIDS Society to publish a special issue on “Advancing Use of Long-Acting and Extended Delivery (LAED) HIV Prevention and Treatment Regimens,” to be published in July 2023. This special supplement will contain a set of multidisciplinary research articles designed to advance the development, future use, and equitable delivery of long-acting and extended delivery (LAED) regimens for HIV prevention and treatment. Guest editors of the special issue include Charles W. Flexner, Johns Hopkins University, United States; Jose A. Bauermeister, University of Pennsylvania, United States; and Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
Main Areas of Focus
- Enhance the integration of behavioral and social sciences in HIV biomedical clinical research using multiple communication tools including an informational website, brochures, meetings, webinars, and publications;
- Strengthen the impact of behavioral and social sciences in HIV biomedical clinical research by engaging behavioral and social sciences researchers, clinicians and other stakeholders and facilitating connections among these groups;
- Improve knowledge of BSS research methods, approaches and findings through collaboration with stakeholders.
BSSPT Membership
The BSSPT membership includes program staff from NIAID Office of the Director, Vaccine Research Program, Prevention Sciences Program, Therapeutic Research Program, and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Division of AIDS Research (DAR).
Contact Information
For more information or questions, please email the NIAID NIMH BSSPT at niaidnimhbsspt@mail.nih.gov.