Why

Trainees will receive instruction and mentorship in the following:

Areas of Instruction & Mentorship
Social and structural, critical, and intersectional theory
Community-engaged research design and methods
Multi-level intervention development and evaluation
Grantwriting, publication and presentation skills

TASHI trainees will benefit from a combination of core and tailored coursework, cross-cutting and integrative activities, and access to resources unique to GW, including the Intersectionality Research Institute, the DC Center for AIDS Research (DC CFAR), and DC-based organizations and institutions such as local and national government and non-profits.

Core Coursework

The core coursework required for the TASHI Training Program will prepare trainees for the following skills, competencies, and orientations:

Problem Conceptualization

Social and structural theory
Critical theory & intersectionality
HIV inequities and syndemics

Community Driven Research

Equitable partnerships
Co-designed studies and methods
Multi-level interventions

Career Development

Grant development
Manuscript writing
Professional presentations

TASHI Training Program Required Core Courses

HIV Prevention: Interdisciplinary Approaches (PUBH 6559)
Doctoral Seminar in Structure and Agency (PUBH 8599)
Doctoral Seminar in Social Change and Collective Impact (PUBH 8720)
Community-Based Participatory Research (PUBH 6534)
Doctoral Seminar in Multi-Level Interventions for Health Promotion (PUBH 8534)
Applied Psychology Research Lab: Discrimination and Health (PSYCH 4202W)

Integrative Training Components

Integrative Training Components
Monthly Seminar Series
Mentored Research Projects
Community & Stakeholder Engagement Rounds
National Research Service Award (F30/31) Intensives

In addition to core coursework, there will be four integrative components that will enable the meeting of the TASHI training program objectives over a two-year period.

Monthly Seminar Series

Participating faculty members present at a monthly seminar series on their work and their application of social-structural and intersectional approaches to HIV and other syndemic-related outcomes (e.g., mental health, substance abuse, violence). Trainees also regularly lead sessions, giving them the opportunity to select readings and present on topics relevant to their particular research interests, including grant proposal or manuscript development or preparation for presenting at a scientific meeting or conference.

Mentored Research Projects (MRP)

Mentored research projects (MRP) allow for the application of coursework in ongoing research projects led by one or more core program faculty members. Trainees are exposed to all facets of the research process, including study design, institutional review board (IRB) processes, and ethical considerations; best practices for community engagement; quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research data collection and analysis; and data dissemination and utilization, including manuscript development, revision, and submission.

Community and Stakeholder Engagement Rounds (CSER)

Quarterly engagement rounds bring together one or more community-based HIV experts or organizations, giving trainees an opportunity to interact with non-academic community partners and institutions that are critical to ensuring the relevancy and impact of work focused on the social-structural and intersectional dynamics of HIV inequities. Community experts speak about their experiences partnering with academic institutions, including doctoral students, and elements of successful academic-government-community partnerships.

NIH F30/F31 National Research Service Award (NRSA) Intensives

NRSA Intensives are held during the summer months of each year of the project to facilitate the process of trainees securing an individual F30 or F31 NRSA after the two-year TASHI training program is completed. Drs. Bowleg and Kerrigan, and colleagues will run the intensives and engage relevant primary mentors and other program faculty in feedback sessions when participants present their specific aims. A team of two program faculty members (other than the primary mentor) will review the draft application and provide scores and critiques to the trainee in a mock review fashion.