Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Brazil is a vast, exciting country with an enormous diversity of cultures and environments within its national boundaries. In contrast to Peru, where the HIV epidemic is primarily concentrated among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW), the HIV epidemic in Brazil has been described as “a collection of microepidemics” with epidemiologic profiles varying between different parts of the country. In addition to MSM and TW, other populations affected by HIV in Brazil include injection drug users (IDUs), heterosexual men and women, and infants exposed to HIV through vertical transmission. Within this context, researchers from Brazil have conducted extensive research on the Epidemiology of HIV and STIs in the region and conducted national and international clinical trials of HIV/STI diagnosis, prevention and treatment.

Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)

Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ) is a public research institution and part of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. The FIOCRUZ HIV/AIDS Clinical Research Unit, established in 1999, includes the Instituto de Pesquisa Clinica Evandro Chagas (IPEC) Clinical Research Site. IPEC is devoted to clinical research on infectious diseases and is a national reference center for the study of infections including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and tropical and parasitic diseases. Fiocruz offers routine clinical care for both "at-risk" and HIV-infected persons, catering to the needs of disenfranchised populations including racial minorities, women, and substance users. Fiocruz/IPEC serves as a Clinical Trial Unit (CTU) of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the HIV Vaccine Trial Network (HVTN), the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN), as well as the International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT) and the International Maternal Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) networks. In addition to their work in international clinical trials of HIV prevention and treatment, investigator-initiated studies have focused on the epidemiology of HIV in women, HPV and HIV coinfection, and network analysis of HIV/STI transmission.

Research Areas: HIV/STI Epidemiology; Clinical Trials; HIV in Women; Public Health Policy

SAPHIR Faculty: Beatriz Grinsztejn, MD, PhD; Valdilea Veloso, MD, PhD; Fernando Bozza, MD, PhD; Ruth Friedman, MD, PhD; Paula Mendes Luz, MD, PhD; Andre Périssé, MD, PhD

Website: http://www.ipec.fiocruz.br/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?tpl=home