(September 29, 2026) — A new National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH/NIAID) training program in the Department of Epidemiology at the Milken Institute School of Public Health will prepare doctoral students to become the next generation of scientists working to end the HIV epidemic.
The five-year NIH/NIAID-funded GW HIV Predoctoral Research in Epidemiology Program T32 (GW HIVPREPT) will support 10 predoctoral students in the Department of Epidemiology, admitting two GW HIVPREPT trainees each year from 2027 through 2031.
“We are thrilled that GW HIVPREPT will allow us to train the next generation of epidemiologists to help end the HIV epidemic. This program will provide doctoral students with powerful and innovative skills so they can leverage our methodological toolkit and prevent, treat, and cure HIV in their future highly successful research careers.”
Led by Manya Magnus, professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology, and Heather Young, professor and vice chair, the program will provide advanced, multidisciplinary training in HIV epidemiology. Students will develop expertise in one of three areas: clinical trials, design and analytics, or implementation science. Training will include emerging and advanced research approaches such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, community-based research, implementation science, and clinical trials.
Students also will benefit from multidisciplinary mentorship and research opportunities across the Milken Institute School of Public Health, GW, and the NIH-funded DC Center for AIDS Research’s nine-institution network. Faculty mentors will provide applied doctoral training and dissertation supervision in NIH-funded research settings, connecting students with active research teams and opportunities to build the skills needed for careers in HIV research.
GW HIVPREPT scholars are eligible for tuition support, an annual stipend, health insurance and other expenses, as well as funding for educational travel and materials. They also will have access to DC CFAR (a NIH-funded city-wide consortium that supports and promotes interdisciplinary HIV/AIDS research) scholars and a range of professional and academic development opportunities, including seminars, grant-writing training, multidisciplinary collaborations, an HIV epidemiology research incubator, and GWSPH’s Riegelman Educational Fellows program.
The program will consider applicants during the 2026–27 admissions cycle, with its first cohort beginning in fall 2027. Applicants must apply to the GW Epidemiology PhD program through SOPHAS by Dec. 1, 2026, and complete the GW HIVPREPT letter of interest process by Jan. 1, 2027.
Learn more about GW HIVPREPT and the Epidemiology PhD program.