The SRC Model
The Social Research Centre in HIV Prevention
Prevention research is the key to reducing and eliminating HIV transmission and acquisition. While prevention has been at the forefront of the Canadian HIV response, social researchers have either worked independently or in small regional networks, often lacking the resources and opportunities to learn from one another and work collaboratively across regions, sectors, professions, and diverse academic disciplines. This changed in 2009 with the creation of the CIHR Social Research Centre in HIV Prevention (SRC). An interdisciplinary, pan-Canadian network of social researchers, community leaders, public health practitioners and policy makers, the SRC collaborates closely with stakeholders in providing critical analysis, research evidence and platforms for dialogue that respond to our evolving HIV epidemic and enhance prevention understanding and effectiveness.
SRC's Public Health Holistic Prevention Model
Created through the financial support of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the SRC is a virtual centre, but the headquarters are based at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. With our committed team of experts from diverse professions, sectors, academic disciplines, and geographies across Canada, the SRC provides leadership in developing integrated programs of prevention research, providing support to the country’s next generation of HIV researchers, and linking research to policy and practice through innovative knowledge transfer and exchange forums to ensure the that research evidence is linked to action on the ground.
With such a geographically dispersed team, the SRC uses networking tools and mechanisms to promote collaboration. This includes in-person opportunities such as learning institutes, and regional and national meetings, as well as virtual networking, KTE tools and mechanisms. Our Centre acts as a living laboratory to incorporate and test leading-edge online tools to promote collaboration and KTE (e.g., web 2.0 tools and technologies).
Governance Model
Organizational Chart for CIHR HIV Social Research Centre
