China-Vanderbilt; PI Han-Zhu Qian, MD, PhD

Fellowship Site: China-Beijing-Vanderbilt

The National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention (NCAIDS) is the one of the largest institutes in Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) in Beijing, the capital city of China. NCAIDS is the nation's leading center for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. NCAIDS is responsible for both national HIV/AIDS initiatives and technical support and capacity-building for regional and local activities.

 NCAIDS has extensive experience with international collaboration and multi-disciplinary research, and has received research funding from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Global Fund, Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, and many other international organizations and domestic agencies. NCAIDS faculty have worked closely with provincial and city-level CDCs in HIV high prevalent areas, providing unique  opportunities to conduct original AIDS research. The ongoing collaborating projects funded by international and domestic agencies include the following studies: injection drug users (IDUs) cohorts in Xinjiang, Guangxi, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces; female sex workers (FSW) cohorts in Yunnan Province; men who have sex with men (MSM) cohorts in Beijing, Chongqing, Shenyang and Chengdu cities; and migrant population cohorts in Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, and Zhejiang provinces.

The co-sponsor of NIH/FICRS in Beijing, China is the Vanderbilt University Institute for Global Health (VIGH) Dr. Han-Zhu Qian, Assistant Professor and Core Scholar of the Institute, has worked extensively in China. He first collaborated with NCAIDS in 2002 for the five-year NIH-funded China Integrated Programs for Research on AIDS (CIPRA) as his PhD dissertation project, and has since continued to collaborate with NCAIDS on epidemiological research projects and extensive publications. Other VIGH faculty also have close collaboration with NCAIDS; for example, NCAIDS is one of major foreign collaborating sites of Vanderbilt-UAB AIDS International Research and Training Program.

Research Opportunities:

• HIV/AIDS Clinical Trial Unit in NCAIDS, China CDC
• Drug Use and Other Risk Factors for HIV Infection in Female sex Workers in China
• Impact of migration on HIV/AIDS epidemic in China  
• Collaborative Research Program on Vaccines against AIDS, Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases 

US Fellows/Scholars will be able to be involved in above epidemiological research projects including subject recruitment, informed consent, randomization, questionnaire interviews, cohort follow-up and retention, data management and analysis, manuscript writing, etc. Fellows/Scholars are also encouraged to propose new research component within the existing projects.

Housing/Meals/Transportation:

Upon arrival in Beijing, fellows can be lodged temporarily in China CDC Graduate Student Dormitory in Panjiayuan Community, about 8 miles away from China CDC campus. China CDC has shuttles available for the dormitory residents to commute. After that, fellows may choose to rent an apartment close to China CDC/NAIDS campus. NCAIDS is located in a residential district with many housing opportunities. NCAIDS administrative staff will provide assistance to visiting students and fellows to secure appropriate accommodations. The site will also provide a bicycle for transportation and is conveniently located on major public transportation lines to Beijing's city center Tiananmen Square (a 15-minute bus ride away). Fellows living nearby NCAIDS campus are also easily accessible by bus, subway, or taxi to the other universities and libraries in Beijing. A typical housing arrangement in neighborhoods around NCAIDS campus would be approximately $500 per month. This would include telephone/internet access, a small kitchen, and television.

Health Issues:

See the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Web site and The Yellow Book: Health Information for International Travel. The NIH/FICRS program mandates that all Scholars see a physician prior to their assignment abroad.

Safety Issues:

Overall China is a reasonably safe country and the capital city Beijing is one of safest cities in China with good healthcare facilities and other amenities.

See the U.S. State Department Web site for additional information.

Language Requirements Other than English:

The majority of Chinese researchers and graduate students at NCAIDS can read and write in English reasonably well and are able to speak some English. Weekly workshops will be organized for US fellows/scholars to learn Mandarin. US fellows/scholars can also take weekend mandarin classes in Beijing universities.