BACKGROUND:
The National Institutes of Health established Centers for AIDS Research (CFARs) for the purpose of creating an interdisciplinary environment that encourages collaborative efforts among HIV/AIDS investigators in basic, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences. Currently, there are 20 CFARs throughout the United States. Senior researchers from all of the Centers come together each year to attend a National Research Symposium that highlights recent progress and ongoing challenges in HIV/AIDS. The Penn CFAR includes over 160 HIV/AIDS investigators at the University of Pennsylvania, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Wistar Institute, and supports research programs in viral pathogenesis, clinical, immunology & vaccine, and behavioral & social sciences.

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PENN Medicine is a $2.7 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and high-quality patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Penn’s School of Medicine is ranked #2 in the nation for receipt of NIH research funds; and ranked #4 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System comprises: its flagship hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, consistently rated one of the nation’s “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; a faculty practice plan; a primary-care provider network; two multispecialty satellite facilities; and home health care and hospice.