 Drew CARES
Center for AIDS
Research, Education and Services
General Information
Organizational Structure and
Research Staff
Contact Information
Drew CARES, a center for
clinical, educational and research excellence in HIV/AIDS
is based at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine
and Science in South Central Los Angeles. Its mission is
to eliminate disparities in care for ethnic minorities
living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Supported by a 3-year
grant from the California Universitywide AIDS Research
Program, the center builds academic-community
partnerships to provide HIV treatment and research in Los
Angeles County.
HIV researchers and
clinicians in partnership with community guide the work
of Drew CARES. The Center consists of a Scientific
Advisory Committee, a Community Coalition, and 3 inter-related
research cores: an Administrative Core, a Social
and Behavioral Research Core, and a Clinical Research
Core.
HIV Researchers and
Clinicians
Eric G. Bing, M.D., Ph.D.,
M.P.H., Principal Investigator, Director, Administrative
Core. Dr. Eric G. Bing is a psychiatrist and
epidemiologist with extensive expertise in HIV Disease.
Dr. Bing received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School
and his Ph.D. in Epidemiology from UCLA. Following
his training in psychiatry, he completed 6 years of
training in health services research, initially as a
Robert Woods Johnson Clinical Scholar and then as a
Scholar in the UCLA Faculty Scholars Program. Dr.
Bing is the Director of the Division for HIV and Mental
Health Services Research at Drew University where he
directs a HIV mental health and social services center,
which has programs in mental health, case management,
treatment education and peer support. Through the
division he also is the director of the mental health/substance
abuse team of the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study
(HCSUS), a Persons with HIV Peer-support, and a variety
of other behavioral treatment programs. Dr. Bing is
also active in the HIV community in Los Angeles and
currently serves on the Board of Directors for AIDS
Project Los Angeles.
Armida Ayala, M.H.A.,
Ph.D., Co-Investigator, Administrative Core Armida
Ayala, M.H.A., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of
Psychiatry (in progress) and is a medical anthropologist
and the director of the Women’s Family project at
the Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences
at UCLA where she conducts research with HIV-positive
women. Dr. Ayala has conducted HIV/AIDS and
violence prevention services and intervention research
targeting populations at risk, including women of color,
youth, immigrants, sex workers, and IV drug users.
She has served as a member of the State Office of AIDS
Community Working Group and on various boards including
AIDS Walk, Avance Human Services, and the Community
Reclamation Project.
Shalender Bhasin, M.D.,
Co-Director, Clinical Research Core. Shalender
Bhasin, M.D., is a professor of medicine and chief of the
Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular
Medicine of the Department of Medicine at Charles R. Drew
University of Medicine and Science. He is a
clinical investigator with expertise in metabolic
complications of HIV-infection. He is currently the
Chair of the Protocol Committee for ACTG Protocol 8005
that will determine the efficacy of physiological
testosterone replacement in reducing visceral fat volume
and insulin resistance in HIV-infected men with visceral
obesity and low testosterone levels. He is the
principal investigator of two NIH-funded R01 grants, one
FDA-funded grant, and several investigator-initiated but
industry-supported grants. Dr. Bhasin has
considerable experience in the design and implementation
of clinical research protocols. He is
internationally recognized for anabolic interventions in
HIV-associated weight loss and has published several
recent papers in this area in peer-reviewed journals.
Ricky Bluthenthal, Ph.D.,
Director, Social and Behavioral Core Ricky N.
Bluthenthal, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Psychiatry at Charles R. Drew University of
Medicine and Science and an Associate Sociologist at RAND.
He is also the Associate Director of the Prevention and
Treatment Services Core of the Center for HIV
Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS).
His research interests include innovative HIV prevention
strategies for injection drug users; especially syringe
exchange programs, access to drug treatment for illicit
substance users, and the relationship between race,
poverty and health outcomes. His present research
studies include “The Impact of Treatment on Demand
on Injection Drug Users in the San Francisco Bay Area”
and “The Social Impact of Withdrawal of Disability
Benefits for Drug and Alcohol Addiction.” His
studies on HIV risk, prevalence and prevention have been
published in several peer-reviewed journals.
Dorothy Chin, Ph.D.
Social and Behavioral Core. Dorothy Chin, Ph.D., is
an Assistant Research Psychologist in the Department of
Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA. She
has conducted and published research on HIV risk,
prevention and intervention among groups of women,
including recently immigrated Latinas, Asians and Pacific
Islanders. She is currently a co-principal
investigator for a study entitled “Testing a Model
of Risk Reduction in Women,” an NIMH-funded
intervention study targeting HIV-positive women with
histories of childhood sexual abuse. Dr. Chin was
co-editor of the recent special issue of Cultural
Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology devoted to HIV
among ethnic minority women, families and communities.
She has collaborated with various Asian/Pacific Islander
community agencies in Los Angeles County in preventive
research and intervention.
Cynthia Davis, M.P.H.,
Co-Director, Social and Behavioral Core Cynthia
Davis, M.P.H., is an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Family Medicine at Charles R. Drew
University of Medicine and Science. She is also the
program director of the Charles R. Drew University HIV
Education and Outreach Projects, which includes the HIV
Mobile Testing Unit. Ms. Davis serves on the boards
of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, THE Clinic and Health
Promotion Institute. She has given a number of
presentations on HIV both nationally and internationally.
These include the Women’s HIV/AIDS Conference in
Uganda, the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in
Beijing, China, and the Conference on Adolescent Health
and HIV Disease in Jamaica. Ms. Davis will be
attending the 13th International HIV/AIDS
Conference in Durban South Africa in July 2000
facilitating a Community Symposium Workshop focusing on
Community Mobilization against HIV/AIDS.
Frank Galvan, Ph.D.,
Associate Director, Social and Behavioral Core Frank
H. Galvan, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., is an Assistant Professor (in
progress) in the Department of Psychiatry of Charles R.
Drew University of Science and Medicine. Dr. Galvan
works with the Collaborative Alcohol Research Center.
He is presently using data from the HIV Cost and Services
Utilization Study (HCSUS) to examine the rates of heavy
drinking among people with HIV and the factors
independently associated with these drinking patterns.
He is also working on the SPNS Partners in Care for HIV
Treatment to examine the effects of an intervention to
improve the coordination of services for people with HIV
in South Central Los Angeles. Dr. Galvan serves on
several committees, including the Strategic Oversight
Planning Committee for HIV Services of the County of Los
Angeles, the Evaluation Committee of the Second
Supervisorial District HIV Community Coalition, and
ALIANZA, the Los Angeles County Latino Caucus on HIV/AIDS.
Loretta Jones, M.A., Co-Investigator,
Administrative Core. Loretta Jones, M.A., serves as
the director of the Healthy African American Families and
convenes the Los Angeles County Children’s Planning
Council Service Planning Area 6. She is also the
chair of the Children’s Institute International
Community Advisory Board and co-chair of the HIVNET
Community Advisory Board. She is involved in many
community organizations, including the Black Women’s
Health Task Force, Great Beginnings for Black Babies Task
Force, the South Central Health Task Force, the African
American Alcohol and Other Drugs Coalition, the Community
Coalition of Substance Abuse and Treatment, and the Youth
Intervention Program. She is well known and respected
within the Los Angeles African American community.
Wilbert C. Jordan, M.D.,
M.P.H., Co-Principal Investigator, Co-Director, Clinical
Research Core. Wilbert C. Jordan, M.D., M.P.H., is
the medical director of the OASIS Clinic of King/Drew
Medical Center. Dr. Jordan has been involved with
the AIDS epidemic from its recognition and in 1983
reported the first heterosexual case of HIV in Los
Angeles County. He has seen and treated over 3,000
patients. Dr. Jordan was part of the NIH/FDA/National
Medical Association Committee that formulated the design
of the NIH sponsored DATRI Study on low dose oral alpha
interferon. He has served on the Los Angeles County
HIV Planning Council and the Prevention and Planning
Committee since their inceptions. Dr. Jordan has
also been the medical director for the Minority AIDS
Project since its creation and chaired the Black Los
Angeles AIDS Consortium for the past 12 years. He
has been on the board of directors of the AIDS Research
Alliance for several years. His areas of research
have included the following: genotyping to confirm
drug resistance to anti-retroviral therapy; comparing the
anti-retroviral activity and tolerability of different
treatment regimens; and, focused interventions for
identifying new HIV-positive clients through active
patients.
Keith Norris, M.D.,
Associate Director, Administrative Core. Dr. Keith
Norris an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Vice
Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Drew University.
He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and completed
a fellowship in Nephrology. Dr. Norris is the
Director of the Drew University Clinical Research Center
and Associate Director of the Clinical Trials Unit.
The Clinical Trials Unit is a six-year $7.5 Million grant
award through the NIH, Office of Minority Health and the
NIDDK to recruit faculty with clinical trials expertise
and conduct pilot clinical trials.
Gail Wyatt, Associate
Director, Administrative Core. Gail E. Wyatt, Ph.D.,
is a Professor of Psychiatry at Drew University and at
UCLA. Dr. Wyatt is the Associate Director of
Behavioral Science of the AIDS Institute at UCLA.
She has conducted research in a number of areas,
including women and AIDS, sexual abuse among African
American women, rape, sexual socialization and sexual
behavior, influences on adolescent sexuality, sexual
decision making, contraceptive patterns, and abortion
services for women. She currently is implementing a major
prevention study with women at risk or infected with HIV.
She is a specialist in developing culturally sensitive
interventions, particularly with African American
populations.
Scientific Advisory
Committee
The Scientific Advisory
Committee assists in overseeing the function of the
center and meets each year to review the progress of the
center and to provide input for strategic and scientific
planning. This ethnically diverse group of has
agreed to serve, includes nationally renowned HIV
researchers in the basic, clinical and behavioral
sciences, HIV clinicians, a community advocate and a
philanthropist with experience in working with
disadvantaged populations with and at risk for HIV.
The members include Dr. Walter Shirvington, President of
the National Medical Association, Dr. Irvin Chen,
Director of the UCLA AIDS Institute, Dr. Susan Folkman,
Co-Director of Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at
UCSF, Dr. Allen McCutchan, Professor of Medicine at UCSD
and an investigator in the University’s ACTG, Oscar
de la O, Executive Director of Bienestar, the Los Angeles
Latino AIDS Project (representing the Community Coalition
described below), Dr. Rafael Diaz from the Center for
AIDS Prevention Studies at UCSF, and Dr. Mary Jane
Rotheram-Borus, Director of the Center for HIV
Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services at UCLA.
Community Coalition
A 12-member ethnically
diverse Community Coalition is being developed to help
support the Center, ensure that research is relevant to
community needs, facilitate access to under-researched
populations and help diffuse information and findings
from the Center to the communities in which the data was
collected. This coalition will serve more than in a
mere advisory capacity. It will meet monthly and
work to mobilize the community around HIV research.
The Community Coalition will be co-developed by Dr.
Armida Ayala and Ms. Loretta Jones.
Administrative Core:
The Administrative Core is
directed by Dr. Eric G. Bing and Co-Directed by Drs.
Keith Norris and Gail Wyatt. Dr. Gail Wyatt is the
Associate Director of the UCLA AIDS Institute and is
internationally known for her work on HIV risk behaviors
among women. The primary function of the
Administrative Core is to provide overall oversight of
the Center. Specifically, the Administrative Core
is responsible for: 1) strategic planning, 2)
enhancement of intra- and inter-institutional
relationships, 3) support for pilot proposals and grant
development, 4) community capacity building, 5) research
mentoring and teaching, 6) support for participant
recruitment, 7) dissemination of findings, 8) computer
infrastructure and data support, and 9) fiscal management
and oversight.
Social and Behavioral
Research Core:
The Social and Behavioral
Research Core of Drew CARES is co-directed by Dr. Ricky N.
Bluthenthal and Cynthia Davis. The principle aim of
this core will be support for the development of social
and behavioral interventions to improve HIV prevention,
treatment and care among under-researched and under-served
populations. The social and behavioral aspects of HIV/AIDS
prevention, treatment and care are wide ranging and are
accomplished by the following activities: 1) the
monitoring and supporting of pilot projects on social and
behavioral issues within the Center; 2) the analysis and
dissemination of existing data from community-based
prevention, treatment and care agencies operating under
the auspices of Drew University; 3) the development and
implementation of participatory action research projects
with community based organizations and 4) the development
of social and behavioral research trials related to
improving HIV prevention, care and treatment.
Clinical Research Core:
The Clinical Research Core
is co-directed by Drs. Shalender Bhasin and Wilbert
Jordan. The primary function of the Clinical Research
Core is to enhance and facilitate hypothesis-driven, HIV-related,
patient-oriented and clinical interventions at Drew
University. Although the existing HIV clinical programs
at Drew provide HIV-related services to approximately 1,500
people, few of these patients currently are able to
participate in hypothesis-driven clinical research
studies because the infrastructure required for
conducting such studies does not exist. The Clinical
Research Core will allow Drew investigators to conduct
HIV clinical, metabolic, intervention and pharmacokinetic
research by 1) providing appropriate space, facilities
and equipment and trained personnel for the evaluation
and follow-up of patients, and data recording for the
conduct of HIV-related clinical research studies; 2)
providing the facilities for the collection and storage
of blood samples; 3) promoting the recruitment and
retention of participants in clinical trials, 4)
facilitating collaborative HIV-related projects in
conjunction with investigators at the UCLA-ACTG Unit; 5)
providing clinical research education and training; 6)
coordinating clinical research protocols and activities
and 7) consulting on pilot projects.
DREW
CARES Contact Information:
Charles R. Drew University
of Medicine and Science
Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services
1651 E. 120th St. Bldg. E
Los Angeles, CA 90059
(323) 357-3447
(323) 357-3477 (fax)
drewcares@mail2.cdrewu.edu
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