The Office of Community Engagement (OCE) at the University of Washington/Fred Hutch (UW/Fred Hutch) Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) is thrilled to announce the inaugural Stephaun Elite Wallace Community Investigator Awards competition.
The purpose of the Wallace Awards is to grow capacity for community-led HIV research by providing funding, mentoring, and educational support for community leaders. The Wallace Awards are also intended to facilitate connections and collaborations between community-based organizations (CBOs) and UW/FH CFAR members.
This award program honors the founding director of the OCE, Dr. Stephaun Elite Wallace. Dr. Wallace was a scientist, social justice advocate, leader in the LBGTQIA+ Ballroom community, and champion of community-led research. This award would not be possible without the vision and staunch advocacy of Dr. Wallace.
“I am excited about the launch of the Wallace Awards. As someone who worked directly with Dr. Stephaun Wallace, I recognize his spirit in this initiative,” said Louis Shackelford, MPH, the current Director of the OCE. “He believed in the boundless possibilities of the communities we serve, as do I. The Wallace Awards are a direct investment in the talents, creativity, and brilliance of community.”
The Wallace Awards provide funding of $5,000-$20,000 per award for 1-2 years, with awards scaling proportionately to the complexity and duration of the proposed work. Projects should contribute to advancing the UW/FH CFAR’s overall mission of advancing knowledge in clinical epidemiology, pathogenesis, prevention, treatment and cure of HIV and its comorbidities.
There are two kinds of projects that can be accepted for this award, defined broadly as traditional research projects and nontraditional research projects. While traditional research projects conform to conventional methodologies and topics within a discipline, nontraditional research projects venture into areas less recognized but intrinsically connected to the overarching aims of HIV research.
The Wallace Awards hold significant promise for redressing imbalances within the realms of equity and representation in HIV investigation, especially in terms of race, gender and socioeconomics. We hope that the innovative, community-led approaches funded by these awards serve as powerful tools to mitigate HIV disparities observed in healthcare, medicine, and public health. By broadening the spectrum of researchers and engaging diverse communities, the Wallace Awards not only may enrich the field of HIV research, but also may amplify its relevance and reach.
For more information about this program, please refer to the official Wallace Awards Request for Applications.
Please contact the CFAR Office of Community Engagement (cfaroce@uw.edu) with any questions.