Yale AIDS center will take a unique approach

With university and state luminaries looking on, the Yale Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) opened its doors on Mon., Sept. 22. Unlike any other existing AIDS program, CIRA will bridge diverse perspectives from academic departments and the community to explore ways of preventing the spread of AIDS.

"CIRA is not a clinical program," Cynthia Atwood, of the Office of Public Affairs, explained. "It was created to look at ways to change the behavior of people, notably underrepresented groups, towards AIDS and its prevention."

With an $11.8 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, faculty from Yale College, Law School, School of Nursing, Divinity School, Medical School, and School of Management will soon begin four research projects at CIRA. Researchers will explore issues such as intravenous drug use, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, needle exchange programs, and the most effective phrasing of HIV-prevention messages.

Dr. Michael Merson, dean of the School of Public Health, will direct CIRA. He explained that CIRA will focus on "better social and psychosocial research" on preventing the spread of HIV.

Apart from research, President Richard Levin, GRD '74, noted that CIRA will also focus on a "partnership" with local community-based organizations.

At CIRA's opening day ceremony, David Mensah, chairperson of the Connecticut AIDS Residence Program, challenged CIRA to "validate the community discipline as well as the academic discipline" and "to continue to work with us."

CIRA's intent in this partnership is to work with local community organizations to disseminate research results and to increase dialogue among AIDS researchers, health care workers, and policy makers.

CIRA hopes that its research can be applied to other diseases. Atwood noted that psychology professor Peter Salovey, CIRA's co-director, has conducted research on how to convince women to get mammograms in order to analyze which messages worked. CIRA will build on such findings in its AIDS research.

CIRA's highly publicized opening ceremonies attracted a wide range of distinguished guests, including Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd, Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Medical School Dean David Kessler, and Levin. At the event, DeLauro praised Yale for being a "worldwide leader in counseling those with AIDS."

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