摘要：People of color are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, yet African American HIV/AIDS researchers are in short supply. Complex historical, structural, sociocultural, and personal barriers can prevent African Americans from becoming well-trained biomedical, behavioral, and social HIV/AIDS researchers. Institutional factors that influence the numbers of African Americans conducting HIV/AIDS research include the limitation of early-career decisions and a lack of exposure to research, research socialization, and mentoring. Two individual-level factors that influence the submission of federally funded research proposals are the limited availability of support for culturally congruent HIV research and African Americans’ negative perceptions of their own competence and ability to contribute to society. We discuss progress toward eliminating disparities experienced by African American HIV/AIDS researchers at the individual, academic institution, and sociopolitical levels. AFRICAN AMERICANS AND other people of color continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. 1 This disparity is particularly apparent for African Americans, who constitute only 13% of the US population but make up 49% of all HIV/AIDS patients. 2 , 3 Approximately 500 000 African Americans are currently living with HIV/AIDS. 3 Factors that increase their risk for HIV infection and transmission include overrepresentation among homeless and incarcerated people and limited access to health services and health insurance, especially among the working poor. 4 It is important to target innovative HIV/AIDS prevention interventions to African Americans that incorporate overlooked and understudied strengths of this population. Racial/ethnic-minority investigators who represent the groups most affected by HIV/AIDS may be more familiar with these issues because of shared life experiences. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has highlighted the need to increase the number of racial/ethnicminority research scientists who conduct studies to identify and understand factors contributing to HIV/AIDS rates in the United States. In 1999, African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans constituted 24% of the US population, but they submitted only 5.2% of applications to NIMH, and of all the applications that received funding, grants to African Americans accounted for only 3.9%. Representation for Asians/Pacific Islanders, who constituted 3.7% of the US population, was slightly better; they received 5.5% of NIMH grants. Funding patterns of other National Institutes of Health (NIH) agencies reflect similar disparities in submissions by and funding to racial/ethnic-minority investigators, but more specific information is not available. 1 Despite programs designed to create more training and federal funding opportunities, barriers persist. Understanding these may increase the number of racial/ethnic-minority investigators and the research needed to stem the tide of HIV/AIDS. 5 We have identified 4 institutional factors that limit the numbers of African American HIV/AIDS researchers, identified 2 individual factors that limit the submission of federally funded research proposals, and discussed strategies to reduce these disparities. Some of these limiting factors have been cited previously, and NIH and particularly NIMH have instituted new opportunities and programs to resolve them. 1 However, progress needs to be examined to confront ongoing challenges.
