PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] – The Philippines is experiencing one of the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemics. The number of reported HIV cases increased by more than 800 percent between 2008 and 2013, and roughly 90 percent of new infections are concentrated in vulnerable populations including transgender women and gay men. The country’s existing healthcare programs have proved inadequate at meeting HIV prevention, testing and treatment needs. 

With funding from the National Institute of Health’s Fogarty International Center, PSTC Associate and Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences Don Operario is leading a new program with the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) to train a new group of scientists to establish cutting-edge HIV prevention and treatment methods. This new infrastructure for HIV research will ultimately help build a foundation for new interventions to fight the spread of HIV within some of the country’s most vulnerable populations. 

“Our priorities include training Filipino HIV scientists, developing Philippines-based curricula and educational programs, and supporting locally relevant and Filipino-led research. At Brown, we are also learning a great deal from visiting scholars from the University of the Philippines, who are completing training here in Providence,” Operario commented.