AIDS Policy Research Center

UCSF, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF), and Project Inform have created an AIDS Policy Research Center (APRC) to conduct timely research to help policymakers, planning councils and community organizations address the HIV epidemic in the State of California. The center is supported with funds from the California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CHRP). The work of the APRC includes both a Rapid Response Core and a set of planned research projects. The purpose of the Rapid Response Core is to:

• Identify HIV-related policy issues affecting California
• Develop specific research questions and to design studies that answer critical questions of relevance to pressing policy issues
• Collect and analyze research data
• Relay findings back to policymakers and other individuals involved in the formulation of policies

The planned research projects focus on:

• Modeling costs to the State under healthcare reform
• An evaluation of medical homes
• A model of care recently endorsed by the California Visioning Change Initiative
• Estimating funding to the state and its cities under a reauthorization of the Ryan White Program anticipated in the next several years

Research conducted at the APRC is guided by an external Policy Research Advisory Committee (PRAC) that guarantees regular and ongoing communication between the scientific investigators and community partners. The PRAC consists of approximately 10 individuals from non-governmental and community-based HIV/AIDS organizations, public health offices, and clinical care and prevention services programs throughout the State of California.