Sociobehavioral Science Core

The Socialbehavioral Sciences (SBS) Core’s mission is to provide methodological expertise, promote population engagement and collaboration, and offer training in social and behavioral sciences specific to HIV research with key populations. By key populations, we mean groups of people who are disproportionately impacted by HIV. To expand the reach, impact, and sustainability of our Center’s HIV prevention and treatment research, the SBS Core also offers investigators access to a Community Advisory Boards (CAB). The SBS Core directs our Center’s work focused on populations disproportionately affected by HIV and is the only SD CFAR Core that provides expertise in sociobehavioral aspects of HIV.

To accomplish its mission, the SBS Core is organized into three units – Research Methods, Population Engagement, and Mentoring.

• RESEARCH METHODS UNIT: Promotes excellence in social and behavioral HIV science by providing methodological expertise and services.
• POPULATION ENGAGEMENT UNIT: Strengthens the engagement of populations disproportionately impacted by HIV and the organizations that serve them across the research continuum by providing Community Advisory Board consultation, supporting academic-organizational partnerships, and advancing dissemination and translation of HIV research.
• MENTORING UNIT: Mentors and trains the next generation of sociobehavioral HIV investigators in research methods and participatory engagement approaches to help end the HIV epidemic.