Administrative Core

Welcome to the Yale-UPR Administrative Core (AC), which provides overall scientific and organizational leadership, management and infrastructure to support the Y-UPR mission and integration of efforts and processes across all Cores/SWGs of the HIV Initiative. A major goal of the AC is to expand scientific exchange by fostering relationships across Yale and UPR and developing ties with key partners outside of the two universities.

The structure of Y-UPR is designed to support HIV/AIDS researchers at Yale and UPR in developing stronger interactions with and across the two institutions, as well as with key partner organizations, to promote collaborations that serve Y-UPR aims. Leadership will assist in creating additional linkages to foster relevant HIV/AIDS research, in collaboration with Yale’s CIRA, and UPR’s CCHDR/RCMI, along with a new nursing science network.

New Haven, CT is riven with complex social determinants of HIV in minority communities. In the CDC’s most recent HIV Surveillance Report, New Haven’s metropolitan area has a prevalence of diagnosed HIV infection of 375.5/100,000. Nearby Hartford (35 mi) and Bridgeport (16 mi) have rates >270/100,000. UPR, in the San Juan area, has prevalence of diagnosed HIV infection of >400/100,000, higher than the rates in some of the hardest hit areas in the states. San Juan is one of the 50 venues (48 counties, the District of Columbia, & San Juan municipality) targeted by the White House initiative: Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America.
Co-PIs/AC co-Directors, Drs. Vermund, Kurth, Zorrilla, and Rabionet, are highly cognizant of the local contexts for scientific research, and the need for local impact of our mission on behalf of PR and CT. This Yale-UPR HIV initiative endeavors to reduce PR isolation as a resource-limited US territory, strengthening HIV research capacity in both venues.

The goals of the Yale-UPR administrative core are as follows:

1. Establish Y-UPR scientific and organizational direction and strategy, integrating two Universities in a synergistic partnership. This means coordinating the scientific leadership of the Y-UPR across the health sciences and other engaged schools of Yale and the two key University of Puerto Rico campuses (UPR, Medical Sciences Campus [UPR, Recinto de Ciencias Médicas] and UPR, Río Piedras Campus [UPR, Recinto de Río Piedras]).
2. Coordinate, nurture, and support the Cores, SWGs, and the CABs as they accomplish their primary function and collective goals. The AC will facilitate strategic and participatory decision-making processes to advance Y-UPR scientific aims. It will also support the CABs and advisory committees to enhance the community and scientific relevance of our work.
3. Establish fiscal and administrative oversight, coordination, and operations management mechanisms to maximize transparency, accountability, and effective deployment of resources. This means ensuring excellent budgetary management and progress reporting to the respective universities.
4. Enhance information technology resources to support the research development and dissemination processes on behalf of members/users. This means managing central web platforms and communications functions, including social media and web conferencing and assist members/users with IT challenges. AC core will also facilitate networking and engagement of the key HIV public health and clinical entities that are vital disseminators of research innovation.
5. Develop and implement approaches to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the Y-UPR Cores and SWGs, considering the context of the two Universities. The AC core will provide ongoing assessment of the productivity and impact of the Cores, SWGs, Developmental Core awards, expenditures, and partnerships through ongoing monitoring performance metrics. The core will also approach the Y-UPR leadership with a concept to develop a new cross-UPR nursing science network.