The community engagement (CE) effort of the BEAT-HIV Delaney Collaboratory is designed to establish meaningful, bi-directional lines of communication between researchers and the communities most affected by HIV. The primary objective of our community engagement strategy is to ensure communities have a clear understanding of a) the HIV cure-directed research being implemented, b) the stage of the research (including realistic expectations around HIV cure science, and c) how interested individuals can participate in and support the HIV cure research agenda.
Engagement efforts ensure that the community has a respected voice in communicating with the BEAT-HIV leadership and investigators regarding the unique ethical and practical aspects of cure research.
The BEAT-HIV community engagement effort will be accomplished by the Community Engagement Group (CEG). The CEG was conceptualized and implemented during the initial funding cycle (2016-2021) and is composed of three components of the BEAT-HIV Collaboratory: 1) BEAT-HIV Principal Investigators and Biomedical and Socio-Behavioral Scientists, 2) Community Advisory Board (CAB), and 3) Philadelphia FIGHT, a local Community Based Organization. The CEG is intended to optimize communications and speed access to expertise and resources within the BEAT-HIV Collaboratory to advance community engagement efforts.
