Supporting a long-standing international collaboration in HIV nursing research, the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing hosted the leadership of the International Nursing Network for HIV Research semiannual meeting on Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center in Providence.
Dean Danny Willis and the college’s faculty and staff welcomed representatives of the network to URI from around the world to discuss HIV/AIDS research and the clinical role served by nurses, who are the primary caregivers for people living with HIV in many parts of the world. Experts traveled to URI from Canada, South Africa, the University of California San Francisco, Yale University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Texas Health Sciences Center-Houston, University of Ottawa, and other locales.
“We are pleased to bring this outstanding group of scholars and leaders to campus,” Willis said. “It speaks to our national and international leadership at the URI College of Nursing in advancing nursing science, global multisite research collaborations, and health and well-being for all.”
Established in 1996 at the UCSF School of Nursing in response to the need for HIV/AIDS nurses to have relevant research and information to inform clinical care, the network has convened semiannual meetings for three decades. Its primary activity is a convening of international, multisite collaborative research studies addressing important issues affecting people living with HIV, including medication adherence, physical activity, aging, health equity, symptom management, and self-care. Millions of people are affected by the disease each year, the network reports., and in many parts of the world, and they need better up-to-date information about the daily management of the disease.
Over the past 30 years, Network members have published more than 80 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to the evidence base for HIV nursing care and advancing research collaboration among nurse scientists internationally. Patricia Cioe, Associate Dean for Research & Scholarship at the URI College of Nursing, has been a member of the Network since 2016 and previously served as the founding president of the Rhode Island Chapter of ANAC.
“It was an honor to host the International Network for HIV/AIDS Research and to celebrate 30 years of collaboration and contributions to HIV nursing research,” Cioe said. “I look forward to building new collaborations between the college and the talented investigators in the network, and to identifying opportunities to advance research that improves the health and well-being of people living with HIV.”