Community Participation

Community Working Group

Regional Working Groups

Community Educators

Site Activities & Research

Community Involvement Toolbox

CORE CIP

Key Topics & Resources

Lessons Learned

Community FAQs

Community Advisory Boards (CABs) foster partnerships between researchers and local study communities impacted by HIV/AIDS. An active CAB with a committed membership is an integral participant in the effort to combat AIDS. In addition, CABs can help strengthen local capacity to respond to critical research needs in the future.

The success of the HPTN’s research mission depends upon active participation by the communities involved in the studies. Including community members at all levels of the research process helps build trust and mutual understanding of research issues and ensures that values and cultural differences among participants are respected.

CABs are responsible for evaluating the impact of HPTN studies on local communities. They serve as a voice for the community and study participants. CABs bring specific, unique expertise to the research process, informing researchers of local issues or concerns that can affect the conduct and successful implementation of the scientific agenda. Each HPTN research site will be linked with and support an active CAB.

CAB members may contribute professional or personal experience. For example, CAB members may include health educators, lawyers, school teachers, people living with HIV/AIDS, women of childbearing age, gay and bisexual men, youth, and representatives from the religious community or community-based / non-governmental organizations. CABs provide advice on scientific and ethical issues regarding study design, recruitment and protection of study volunteers. Each CAB will develop their own mission statement and operating guidelines.

CAB members will be drawn from the groups above, and through recommendations from leaders in the community, other CAB members, study participants and HPTN staff. Recruitment should be viewed as ongoing, wherein new members are added over time as attrition occurs. All new CAB members will receive an orientation and background materials prior to their first meeting.

• Attend local CAB meetings and provide feedback on issues under discussion.
• Voice concerns from the communities and study participants.
• Demonstrate commitment to developing an understanding on issues where they may have little expertise; attend workshops.
• Participate on HPTN scientific working groups and community working group.
• Assist in the development and implementation of community education activities (health fairs, community forums, media interviews, etc.).
• Advise the HPTN protocol team in the development of informed consent and other study related documents.
• Advise in the development and implementation of recruitment and retention strategies.
• Provide real-life experiences.
• Serve as a resource to community liaison officer and research team.
• Disseminate study information to local community.
• Recruit and orient new CAB members.

Each study site will designate a paid staff person to serve as the CAB liaison.

Responsibilities of the CAB liaison

• Plan and coordinate CAB meetings.
• Ensure that information is shared between the CAB, research study staff and working groups.
• Assemble educational materials and handling administrative duties (i.e. minutes).
• Coordinate regular educational opportunities for CAB members to update their knowledge.
• Work with the current CAB to identify and recruit new members.
• Maintain contact with other CAB liaisons at other sites.

• Recruit and orient new CAB members.

• The total membership should not exceed 20.
• Membership is open to all members of the community who successfully complete a CAB orientation.
• A CAB should have at least half of the membership regularly participate in CAB activities to be considered "active."
• A CAB member is considered non-active if he/she is absent from three meetings without contacting the CAB liaison.

• Competent and committed site liaison coordinator.
• Active participation and visibility of principal investigator (PI) and/or other senior HPTN staff in CAB meetings and activities.
• Timely orientation of new members.
• Clearly stated purpose for CAB involvement.
• Inclusion of CAB members in development of HPTN research plans.
• Provision of regular training and technical assistance to all CAB members.
• Clearly stated standards, procedures.
• Agreed upon norms and decision-making rules of conduct for the group.
• Provision of administrative assistance.
• Establish means of communication with CAB members.
• Provision of transportation to meetings, conferences, workshops, if needed.
• Skilled facilitation of regular meetings.
• Provision of refreshments.

The HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) is a worldwide collaborative clinical trials network established by National Institutes of Health (NIH) to evaluate the safety and efficacy of non-vaccine prevention interventions (and perinatal vaccine interventions), alone or in combination, using HIV incidence as the primary endpoint. The HPTN is a successor to the HIVNET, a research network that conducted Phase I,II and III trials at 11 U.S. and 11 international sites.

For more information about the HPTN, contact Rhonda White or Jonathan Lucas, Community Program Managers at Family Health International.

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