Education and Training

The D-CFAR provides pilot awards to grow ideas generated by developmental programming and enable initial data collection and preparation for external grant submissions. These include:

  1. Investigator Pilot Awards for junior investigators seeking either K-series or their first R01 awards and senior investigators who have never been funded to work on HIV before who can contribute to interdisciplinary research.

  2. Partner Pilot Awards to support funding proposals that are co-led by an academic and an external partner

  3. D-CFAR Enhancement Funds that supplement pilot funding obtained from other intramural sources when they address HIV to leverage institutional resources.

For more information on our training programs, request a consultation with our Developmental Core.

The D-CFAR also offers programming to guide the advancement of research proposals for both D-CFAR pilot funding as well as external submissions:

  • Translational HIV Science Studios (THiS Studios) are small gatherings of scholars from a variety of fields to discuss and address interdisciplinary problems related to HIV. These studios allow researchers to workshop formative ideas, assisted by structured methods for collaboration to foster an environment where interdisciplinary perspectives converge, resulting in groundbreaking concepts for HIV research. 

  • Junior investigators and other researchers are invited to participate in the HIV Works in Progress (HIP) Seminar, a monthly forum held throughout the academic year. The seminar provides a collaborative space to develop and refine research ideas, strengthen grant proposals, and gain practical insights into the grant application process. Participants receive structured feedback from experts across basic, clinical, and implementation sciences, helping them navigate each stage of grant development and enhance the competitiveness of their proposals.

  • Our annual HIV Proposal Bootcamp allows individuals developing HIV-related grant proposals to receive rapid feedback and grant writing support from more experienced researchers through a series of six or more “lightning consultations” in a single day.

  • Midwest D-CFAR members are also eligible to take advantage of NIH Mock Study Sections and Scientific Editing Services offered by the ICTS. 

Mentorship

Career Mentors

Both experience and well-established data suggest that mentoring is critical for success in academia. While most junior investigators and trainees have scientific mentors, few in our institution have career mentors who act outside the scientific chain of command. Career mentors are positioned to help mentees with their scientific and professional growth. The D-CFAR offers career mentors to early-stage investigators through our Developmental Core.

Mentorship Training

The Midwest D-CFAR offers mentorship training programs for investigators who wish to strengthen their mentorship and coaching skills. The Developmental Core additionally sponsors two D-CFAR members per year to attend the highly regarded Mentoring-the-Mentors Workshop for HIV Researchers led by the University of California, San Francisco CFAR and held every fall.

Internship for Harris Stowe State University Students

As part of our efforts to connect academic knowledge with real-world public health programs, the Midwest D-CFAR has developed an undergraduate research program for Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) students, in partnership with the City of St. Louis Department of Health (STL DOH).

The goal of the HSSU STL DOH Midwest D-CFAR internship program is to cultivate an experienced future workforce equipped to tackle the HIV epidemic while supporting HSSU's educational mission in the sciences.

We will begin accepting applications for the 2027 internship program in the fall of 2026.