The development and engagement of strategic partnerships is a vital component of representing diverse populations in clinical trials and research.
HANC supports Community Partners, The Legacy Project and the COVID-19 CAB Coalition to achieve representation and build relationships with historically underrepresented communities in clinical research.
Community Partners (CP) is a cross-network body charged by the Network Leadership and the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) with promoting effective representation of the many communities within which the National Institutes of Health (NIH) HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks conduct research.
The Community Partners group is made up of community representatives from the NIH-funded HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks community groups and network staff, including representatives from the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN), the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), and the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Group (IMPAACT). HANC staff and representatives from DAIDS serve as non-voting members.
Community Partners represents community research needs and priorities to the NIH Clinical Trials Network Leadership (NLG) and Strategic Working Group (SWG) and other advisory groups or committees as needed/requested. CP provides input to DAIDS research plans as they relate to scientific agendas, ethical conduct of clinical trials, community education, community training and communication/information dissemination in a manner that ensures respect for community priorities and continued community participation.
Community Partners focuses on improving intra- and inter-network community input at all levels, identifying and developing programs to meet the training and support requirements of local Community Advisory Boards, increasing the representation and participation of community members from resource-limited settings and vulnerable populations, and identifying and addressing challenges to participation in clinical trials. Community Partners conducts activities regularly through conference calls and online tools such as email and a web portal system that allows for document collaboration and discussion boards.
The Legacy Project works nationally to increase awareness of and build support for HIV prevention and treatment, clinical and behavioral research by addressing factors that influence participation of historically underrepresented communities. The Legacy Project achieves its core mission through ongoing and strategic engagement, collaboration, education, and scientific investigation.
With a team of diverse, skilled and devoted staff, the Legacy Project works to cultivate and enhance partnerships and relationships among the National Institutes of Health (NIH) HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks and research sites, research and academic institutions, governmental agencies, community-based organizations and affiliates, while ensuring a commitment to capacity building for communities and populations most impacted by the HIV epidemic in the United States.
The HANC-facilitated COVID-19 CAB Coalition formed in September 2020 to share information, facilitate resource sharing, and advocate on the behalf of the overall COVID-19 research efforts. Current group members represent the COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN) Community Engagement Working Group, ACTG's ACTIV-2 CAB, AVAC's COVID Advocates Advisory Board, the CFAR National CAB Coalition, the COVID-19 CAB at Stony Brook, DAIDS, and Community Partners.
Find resources on how to become a participant in clinical research, community engagement materials, important social media accounts to follow, webinars on COVID-19, and other useful information on our COVID-19 resources page.