ABSTRACT. With enhanced access to antiretroviral therapy, a higher prevalence of risk factors (e.g., tobacco
use) for noncommunicable diseases (NCD) and direct effects of HIV infection, the burden of NCD-related
morbidity and mortality among PWH is growing in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), including
Vietnam. This increase presents a significant threat to the progress achieved in reducing global mortality
attributable to HIV in LMICs. Despite strong evidence for WHO-endorsed interventions that can prevent and
effectively treat NCDs, implementation of NCD-related evidence-based interventions (EBI) in HIV care has
lagged. There is an opportunity to leverage the substantial investments in HIV health systems in Vietnam to
deliver NCD-related EBIs. Achieving this goal will require building capacity to conduct research that can
generate actionable data to inform implementation and scale-up of EBIs in the context of HIV care.
Implementation Science (IS) provides a set of methods that can accelerate the translation of research into
policy and practice to improve population health outcomes. This application builds on well-established
relationships between the PIs in at New York University’s School of Global Public Health and Vietnam’s Hanoi
University of Public Health (HUPH), forged through over a decade of collaboration on NIH-funded
implementation research. The “Advancing Implementation Research Capacity in Vietnam” (ARC) training
program will establish a sustainable HUPH Implementation Science Program that will offer didactic training and
practical research experiences with established HIV/AIDS, NCD and IS investigators to prepare individuals
from diverse professional backgrounds to contribute to implementation research teams. Our aims are to: (1)
Provide training to 48 graduate students, early career research faculty, policymakers and health care system
leaders that equips trainees with implementation research methods skills and knowledge through coursework,
mentoring, and experiential learning in global health implementation science. We will also enroll trainees from
the University of Health Sciences in Laos to build the foundation for regional IS collaboration. (2) Build a
network of multidisciplinary mentors from the global north and south to promote equitable bi-directional
learning and collaboration, and implement a culturally-informed mentor training program to optimize mentor
and mentee relationships and enhance career advancement for promising investigators and public health
professionals committed to reversing the growing burden of NCD-related health disparities among PWH. (3)
Evaluate multilevel short-and long-term outcomes and explore factors that can inform effective mentorship and
training. The project aims to institutionalize model curriculum for IS training focused on priorities relevant to
advancing health outcomes among PWH at a leading institution in Vietnam. Engaging both academia, public
health professionals and policymakers in IS training enhances the potential for immediate and future
translation of EBIs into policies and practices system wide to reduce the burden of NCDs among PWH.