Overview

After more than a quarter century, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to be one of the greatest public health challenges both locally and internationally. Washington DC is one of the epicenters of HIV/AIDS in the United States, with one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS among metropolitan areas in our nation. Internationally, UNAIDS/WHO reports that more than 30 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS, with the majority living in sub-Saharan Africa. Home to some of the world's leading public health institutions committed to the struggle against HIV/AIDS, Washington, DC is a powerful center in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

In the midst of this multitude of international, national and local organizations, numerous faculty members from DC-area institutions have been involved actively for decades in the research, education, treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. In 2006, the HIV/AIDS Institute was established to provide professional connectivity among all faculty members working on HIV/AIDS research, education, prevention and clinical care in Washington DC. Initially, to form the Institute, faculty from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences were joined by faculty from the GWU Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Children's National Medical Center, and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center; soon after, faculty from Georgetown University, Howard University, and Washington Hospital Center joined the Institute as well. Routine monthly meetings open to all members of the Institute were begun to discuss the general directions and specific programs of the Institute; these meetings serve as the foundation of the Institute and continue to this day.

In 2007, a retreat was held to formulate the strategic directions of the Institute. An Institute mission was formally articulated, and is "to improve the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, both locally and globally, though the expansion of interdisciplinary research and educational activities, and through the promotion of excellence in clinical care and public service." Thus far, several new and innovative programs have been created through the Institute, including the unique Graduate Certificate in HIV/AIDS Studies, an ongoing and well-attended CME series on HIV/AIDS which is open to the local HIV/AIDS community, and the Collaborative Faculty Award for Research Program which was created to encourage inter-departmental and inter-institutional research on HIV/AIDS. Institute faculty have learned much about each other's research activities, and multiple new collaborations among Institute faculty members have resulted from both formal and informal discussions facilitated by Institute meetings. Plans are now under way for the Institute to lead the development of an application for an NIH-funded Center for AIDS Research in Washington DC, which would stimulate the development of the nation's capital as a leading center for HIV/AIDS research.

Dynamic, growing, and collegial, the HIV/AIDS Institute continues to evolve in scope and in its activities. The Institute has received considerable support from the GW Medical Center, which now supports a full-time Institute Executive Coordinator, the Faculty Research Awards Program, the in-kind time of the Executive Committee, and the administrative costs of the Institute. Much has been accomplished in the brief two year period since the Institute received its initial charter from the University in March 2006, and we are deeply excited about the potential for further growth that the Institute holds in the years ahead.

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