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Visiting Professor Program

Center for AIDS Prevention Studies

The program typically admits 2-4 Visiting Professors each year. Because of the small number of participants, the annual six-week summer program at CAPS is specifically tailored to the needs of those attending. The 2026 summer institute is scheduled for Monday, June 8, – Thursday, July 16. Each Visiting Professor attends three consecutive summer programs at CAPS.

What you can expect during each summer

Participants will attend approximately 4-6 seminars per week. The seminars cover many aspects of the research/grant writing process, which are addressed in the context of the projects being developed by program participants. For more details, please see the description of Summer Program Seminars.
Each week participants complete a writing assignment. The writing assignment is a section of their NIH grant proposal (i.e., specific aims, significance, approach).
Each week participants are expected to read other participant’s writing assignments and provide written comments. Program faculty also read each participant’s written products.
First year participants will also develop a concept document for their Applied Research Experience/Pilot Study.
At the end of the summer, a peer review is conducted for each participant’s grant proposal in a process that mimics the NIH peer review process. A program faculty, fellow Visiting Professor, and outside reviewer with expertise specific to the grant proposal’s topic will read and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the grant proposal. The reviewers also provide written feedback. Other participants are also expected to read their peers grant proposals and provide verbal feedback.
Depending on their progress, program participants may spend the second summer revising their original proposals from Year 1, or developing a second proposal to submit for NIH funding.
Through the seminars, weekly assignments, and reading each other’s work, participants gain an in-depth knowledge of each other’s research programs.

Program faculty also read each Visiting Professor’s written products, as well as lead seminars, offer mentorship, and provide consultation throughout the summer program. The structure of the summer program enables VPs and program faculty to develop collaborative relationships and provide valuable and meaningful input that improves VPs’ likelihood of receiving a favorable review at NIH. Information about the research interests of the program faculty members is available here.

Program Tracks

Our program has three tracks to offer to program participants. With the support from multiple institutes, we are prepared to offer the program to scientists from a broad range of research interests.

Track 1	Funded by NIAID	The integration of state-of-the-art biomedical, social/behavioral, and clinical HIV science with implications for alleviating HIV-related health inequities in US-based populations disproportionately impacted by HIV	Mallory Johnson and Monica Gandhi, Co-Directors
Track 2	Funded by NIDA	Interdisciplinary clinical social/behavioral research to reduce health disparities at the intersection of HIV and substance use in US-based populations disproportionately impacted by HIV	Tor Neilands and Emily Arnold, Co-Directors
Track 3	Funded by NIMH	Social/behavioral science HIV research that incorporates individual-, interpersonal-, and/or socio-structural-level factors in US-based populations disproportionately impacted by HIV	Tor Neilands and Emily Arnold, Co-Directors

Funding for the Applied Research Experience/Pilot Study

We expect to fund each researcher for up to $20,000 to conduct an Applied Research Experience (ARE)/Pilot Study before the second summer. This ARE should facilitate completion of an R-level grant via the analysis of data and research skills acquisition.

Please note: Depending on which funding source supports the VP’s participation, it may not be permitted to use this program support to collect human subjects data. At the time of their application to the program, each applicant should determine which track(s) of the program is the best fit for their program of research, and then examine whether the funding for that track restricts the collection of human subjects data. VPs who face this restriction should propose an ARE that leverages alternative means of obtaining preliminary findings to strengthen their NIH proposal, such as performing a secondary data analysis on existing data or other forms of capacity building.

Stipend and travel support

Participants are appointed as UCSF Faculty during each summer program, and receive a stipend totaling $15,000. The stipend is taxable income and is paid in two installments, one after the first half of the summer program and the second at the end of the summer program. The stipend serves to help cover living expenses such as food and local transportation. In addition to the stipend, the program offers up to $1,000 for round-trip airfare and travel costs to and from San Francisco each summer.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1️⃣ Focus on HIV Prevention (Not General HIV Research)

CAPS has a distinctive focus: primary HIV prevention, not treatment or cure research.

Strong proposals:

Address HIV acquisition risk

Improve PrEP uptake, persistence, or adherence

Develop/testing interventions for at-risk communities

Reduce behavioral, structural, or contextual contributors to HIV transmission

Predictor: Prevention must be the central purpose, not a secondary outcome.

2️⃣ Strong Community Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement

CAPS is world-renowned for community-partnered research.

Successful proposals:

Include community organizations as authentic partners, not afterthoughts

Engage the target population in design, recruitment, dissemination

Reflect trust, cultural humility, and relevant lived experience

Include letters of support & partner roles

Predictor: Authentic community engagement can make or break a CAPS application.

3️⃣ High Priority Given to Health Equity & Disparities

CAPS evaluates how the proposed research advances health equity for populations disproportionately affected by HIV, such as:

Black/African American and Latinx communities

Gay, bisexual, and other MSM

Transgender women and nonbinary people

Youth and young adults

People experiencing homelessness

Sex workers

People who use drugs

Predictor: Clear, equity-centered design and recruitment strategy is essential.

4️⃣ Implementation Science Frameworks Strongly Favored

CAPS is a global leader in HIV implementation science.

Competitive proposals often include:

RE-AIM

CFIR

Implementation outcomes (feasibility, acceptability, fidelity, scalability)

Hybrid Type 1/2/3 designs

Predictor: Proposals using implementation-science frameworks score higher.

5️⃣ Clear Feasibility & Strong Preliminary Evidence

Because many CAPS grants are pilot or developmental awards:

Strong proposals show:

Feasibility studies or preliminary recruitment success

Pilot qualitative work with target populations

Early usability testing (for digital interventions)

Prior work establishing need and acceptability

Predictor: Evidence of feasibility greatly increases reviewers’ confidence.

6️⃣ Innovation in Prevention Approaches

CAPS prioritizes novel, impactful ideas such as:

Digital/mobile interventions

PrEP delivery innovations (e.g., pharmacies, peer-led, long-acting injectables)

Stigma reduction programs

Mental-health–integrated HIV prevention

Structural interventions (policy, housing, harm reduction)

AI-supported risk prediction or messaging

Predictor: Innovation matters — but must be paired with feasibility.

7️⃣ Strong, Multidisciplinary Team

Successful applications demonstrate expertise in:

HIV prevention science

Behavioral science

Epidemiology

Implementation science

Community engagement

Biostatistics

For clinical studies: access to clinical sites or PrEP programs

Early-career applicants must have strong mentorship.

Predictor: A balanced team with prevention and community partnership expertise.

8️⃣ Clear, Measurable Outcomes

CAPS emphasizes outcomes relevant to HIV prevention:

HIV testing uptake

PrEP initiation, adherence, or retention

Behavior change

Reductions in stigma or structural barriers

Implementation outcomes (acceptability, reach, feasibility)

Predictor: Strong outcome definitions increase scoring.

🚫 COMMON PITFALLS (Why CAPS Applications Fail)

Pitfall	Why It Weakens Application
No community partner or superficial engagement	Misaligned with CAPS philosophy
Not explicitly focused on HIV prevention	Off-topic
Overly ambitious for a pilot	Feasibility concerns
Weak implementation details	Reviewers question real-world utility
Recruitment strategies unclear	High-risk populations require trust
Lack of health equity framing	Unaligned with CAPS mission
Insufficient mentorship (for early-career applicants)	Execution risk
Vague methods or outcomes	Reviewers can’t assess rigor

Specialties

Cancer

Forensic Sciences

Data Science

Eligibility Requirements

The VP Program is designed to assist investigators already conducting HIV-prevention research with communities disproportionately impacted by HIV in the United States to improve their programs of research and obtain additional funding for their work

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Center for AIDS Prevention Studies

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor San Francisco, CA 94158-2549

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