Congratulations to Drs. Kaku So-Armah, Caroline Kuo and Tim Flanigan for their award of a CFAR Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pipeline Initiative (CDEIPI) funded by NIAID and the DC CFAR.  This new award provides fund in the amount of $150,000 for their project titled “Providence/Boston CFAR Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Program”. 

The proposal aims to engage in activities designed to tailor future mentorship, training and funding opportunities to Prov/Bos CFAR mentees from groups historically excluded from the scientific enterprise, and to maximize the likelihood of their inclusion and retention in the HIV field. The aims of the project include: 1) Implement an HIV-focused pilot program to expand the reach of existing Science Technology
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pipeline programs at Prov/Bos CFAR institutions; and 2) Conduct a needs assessment of Prov/Bos CFAR mentees and mentors to guide the development of robust and innovative programming in the Prov/Bos CFAR DEIB Program.

The overarching goal of the CDEIPI is to increase the number of Underrepresented Minorities (URM) / Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) trainees who are engaged in HIV science at the high school, undergraduate, graduate (masters, doctoral or medical) and post-doctoral levels and to develop pathways for these "CDEIPI Scholars" to successful careers in science and medicine. The CDEIPI will support the development of new programs and the enhancement of existing programs within the CFAR network in collaboration with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) throughout the United States.