In 2008, CDC published new estimates indicating that approximately 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006.  This figure is roughly 40% higher than previously estimated, indicating that the HIV epidemic is – and has been – worse than previously known.  New infections have been steadily increasing among men who have sex with men (MSM) since the early 1990s, and the epidemic continues to disproportionately affect MSM, African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos. Additionally, studies have found that many persons at risk for HIV infection are not being reached through current prevention efforts.  These findings demonstrate that the HIV epidemic in the United States is not over and should serve as a wake-up call for all Americans. They underscore the need to reach all populations at risk for HIV with effective prevention programs and serve as an urgent reminder that we all—as individuals, communities, and as a nation—need to do more to prevent the further spread of HIV and its devastating effects on our communities. In response, the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) has initiated a comprehensive review of its surveillance, research, program, and evaluation portfolios to inform its strategic planning process and ensure that it is efficiently and effectively meeting the needs of the changing epidemic.

DHAP’s strategic planning efforts are multifaceted and include:

• an External Peer Review process,
• review and comment from the Board of Scientific Counselors, and
• the development of an HIV prevention strategic plan for 2010-2020.

The first step in the strategic planning process is the External Peer Review. In 2009, the Division convened an External Peer Review to provide DHAP with objective input and guidance on its programmatic and scientific priorities and direction; provide a basis for a new DHAP HIV prevention strategic plan; and provide a platform for development of a national HIV prevention strategy that incorporates stakeholder perspectives and needs. The review was conducted under the auspices of CDC’s Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases (CCID) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) by an ad hoc workgroup of non-CDC experts. It included all DHAP programs and activities, organized into the following topic areas, each addressed by a separate panel:

• planning, prioritizing, and monitoring,
• surveillance,
• biomedical interventions, diagnostics, laboratory, and health services research,
• behavioral, social, and structural interventions research, and
• prevention programs, capacity building, and program evaluation.

A Steering Committee with representatives from each panel addressed cross-cutting issues, DHAP’s overall priorities, balance of activities, resource allocation, and research-to-program translation and dissemination activities.  The External Peer Review results will be shared on the Strategic Planning Web page, once the final recommendations have been presented to DHAP by the BSC in November 2009. After DHAP receives final recommendations from the BSC, the Division will develop a response. This information will also be available on this Web page.

DHAP will begin developing a new HIV prevention strategic plan in the upcoming months. HIV prevention is a critical component of a National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and the Division is hopeful that its new strategic plan will inform the prevention component of the National Strategy. The extensive input received through the External Peer Review will serve as a foundation for the development of that process, as well as for planning within individual DHAP branches. DHAP will carefully consider the recommendations provided by the external reviewers as it develops the new DHAP strategic plan and will report back to the BSC the outcome of the strategic planning process in one year.