Grant Renewal Ensures Downstate’s Commitment to HIV Research Training Continues in Ukraine

By Office of the President | Oct 30, 2023

Downstate’s Ukraine HIV Research Training Program received a $1.5M grant from the NIH Fogarty International Center to continue its work on HIV Research training in Ukraine. This five-year grant extends earlier funding, significantly propelling HIV research, policy formulation, and outreach efforts in Ukraine.

Jack A. DeHovitz, M.D., MPH, MHCDS, FACP, Distinguished Service professor of Medicine and director of the STAR program, and Deborah Gustafson, Ph.D., M.S., professor of Neurology and the director of Neuro-Epidemiology collaborated with public health authorities from Ukraine, Poland, and Georgia.

Ukraine has long been among the few nations globally experiencing a surge in HIV rates. Out of the approximately 210,000 People Living with HIV (PLWH) in Ukraine, only 60 percent had access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). The accessibility of ART was even scarcer for HIV-positive individuals who used injectable drugs.

An ongoing drug use epidemic, a nascent healthcare system, and the humanitarian ramifications of war have further strained the situation. Factors like population displacement, interruptions in supply chains, assaults on medical establishments, and prevalent mental health issues have hindered consistent HIV care, emphasizing the program’s critical nature.

Dr. DeHovitz is the Principal Investigator for the grant; Kostyantyn Dumchev, M.D., MPH, from the Ukrainian Institute of Public Health Policy, also plays a pivotal role. The revamped program will collaborate with the School of Public Health at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

In addition to this work, Dr. DeHovitz is also a co-principal investigator for programs focused on Georgia and Kazakhstan. His engagement in the region commenced in 1993, starting with HIV research training programs in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary, eventually expanding to the Baltic states, Russia, and Armenia. His projects under the Fogarty umbrella have trained 200 long- and short-term participants.

Dr. DeHovitz and the Ukraine program are featured in the September/October edition of the Fogarty International Center’s Global Health Matters newsletter.