Partners/People
OVERVIEW
Successful collaborations are at the center of the success of Drew CARES. We strive to connect the local expertise of our partners with the scientific expertise of our internationally-respected researchers to develop state-of-the-art services and research for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Collaborating Partners:
Angolan Armed Forces (FAA)
Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS)
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LADHS)
Rand
Rwandan Defense Force (RDF)
UCLA - AIDS Institute
UCLA - Center for Community Health
United Stated Department of Defense
YWCA- Young Women’s Christian Association of Nigeria
Funding Agencies:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The Department of Defense (DOD)
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
The California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CHRP)
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
STAFF BIOS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
Eric G. Bing, MD, Ph.D., is a Psychiatrist and Epidemiologist. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and a Masters of Public Health and a Doctorate in Epidemiology from UCLA. Dr. Bing is an Assistant Professor in the Psychiatry Department at Charles Drew University. He is the founder and Director of SPECTRUM Community Services and Research, a community-based clinical and research center that provides HIV care to over 500 people, primarily African-American and Latinos, each year and develops and evaluates innovative health services for underserved communities. He is also the founder and Director of Drew Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services (Drew CARES), a research center focusing on HIV among disadvantaged populations, both locally and internationally. Dr. Bing is currently the PI on projects funded by NIH, USAID, US Department of Defense, the California HIV Research Program and others. His research primarily focuses on developing and evaluating interventions to improve health care and health outcomes for disadvantaged populations, particularly those affected by HIV, mental illness, and/or alcohol and drug problems in civilian and military populations. Dr. Bing is a Co-PI of the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) and the PI of the Institute of Community Health Research, based in Los Angeles. Dr. Bing has projects focusing on HIV domestically and in Africa, including Angola, Nigeria and Rwanda.
Karen Cheng, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Charles Drew University and a core investigator with the International Core of the UCLA/Drew Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS).
Dr. Cheng’s work focuses on HIV prevention and delivery of HIV/AIDS treatment and care services in low-resource settings, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. She has worked with the Angolan Armed Forces to develop and experimentally test a culturally-appropriate prevention intervention. Additionally, she is working with the Rwandan Defense Forces to develop a mobile team to provide medical and psychosocial services to people living with HIV in rural areas.
In addition, Dr. Cheng has been investigating culturally-appropriate assessment tools for HIV/AIDS prevention programs in sub-Saharan Africa. She recently completed several studies assessing the acceptability and cost-effectiveness of using handheld computers to collect self-reported sexual behavior data in Angola. Dr. Cheng also directs the team that develops culturally-appropriate assessment surveys, as well as resource-appropriate data collection and data management strategies in low-resource settings, for Drew HIV/AIDS prevention projects in sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Cheng received her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California and her PhD in social psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Frank H. Galvan, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Galvan graduated from UCLA with a doctorate in social welfare in 1998. He is a researcher with the Charles Drew University Institute for Community Health Research as well as the UCLA/Drew/RAND Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS). Dr. Galvan’s current research interests include the following: HIV testing among Latino populations, HIV prevention among Latino and African American populations, sexual risk behaviors of Latino day laborers, drinking and heavy drinking among HIV-positive people, and the role of religiosity and spirituality in the lives of HIV-positive people.
Nina Harawa, MPH, PhD is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Research. Her major research interests include epidemiology, prevention, bisexual behavior, incarceration, African American women, stress, and conceptualizations of race and ethnicity in disparities research.
One of her major projects is an ongoing study, which has received funding from both the California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CHRP) and NIH to develop, implement, and test a new HIV prevention intervention for behaviorally bisexual African American men. This project involves a small sub-study to examine the physiological effects of racism, stigma, homophobia, and other stressors on HIV-infected study participants. Her and colleagues from Cal State Dominguez Hills and the Center for Health Justice recently received additional funding from CDC to adapt this intervention to African American who were recently released from incarceration.
Dr. Harawa is also currently working with the Center for Health Justice and UCLA on another study to examine the cost effectiveness of condom distribution in jails. This work builds on her ICHR-funded pilot study to examine sexual behavior, HIV risk, and condom use in the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's jail unit for gay and transgender males.
In addition, Dr. Harawa and colleagues from JWCH Institute, Inc. and UCLA were awarded CHRP funding to develop and implement an HIV prevention program for African American women in partnerships with high-risk men. Further, she has received pilot funds from the National Institutes of Aging to examine the role of racial disparities in marriage, divorce, and widowhood on HIV risk in older adults, particular African American women.
Dr. Harawa enjoys working closely with the community and has collaborated with several local community based organizations to collect data for her research or to receive their input in study design and interpreting study findings. She is frequently called upon to share with lay and professional audiences the results of her research and the scope of the HIV epidemic. She has also appeared in three educational videos on HIV/AIDS.
Charles L. Hilliard, Ph.D., is Clinical Director of SPECTRUM / Drew Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services. As Clinical Director of SPECTRUM, he oversees services provided individuals living with HIV/AIDS including Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Case Management, Treatment Education and Advocacy, Peer Support, and a Home Based Care program. In addition, as an Associate Faculty at Drew Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services, he is responsible for program evaluation of a SAMHSA funded substance abuse program, “Enhancing Substance Abuse Treatment for People with HIV/AIDS in South Central Los Angeles”.
Dr. Hilliard graduated from Fuller Graduate School of Psychology, where he earned a Masters in Marriage, Family and Child Psychotherapy and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. He completed an APA approved Internship at St. John’s Child Study Center and a Psychology Fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Childrens’ Hospital of Los Angeles. He is a licensed Clinical Psychologist in California.
Before joining Drew Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services, Dr. Hilliard worked as a Pediatric Neuropsychologist at The Comprehensive Maternal, Child and Adolescent HIV Management and Research Center, Los Angeles County and The University of Southern California (LAC+USC) Medical Center (1997-2005), where he developed an Adherence Readiness Evaluation Tool, youth outreach and prevention programs, and participated in numerous clinical trials.
Dr. Hilliard is currently piloting an education and prevention curriculum for youth involving HIV, substance abuse and nutrition that will be available for a variety of school and after-school settings. His interests also include developing effective treatment programs for HIV infected youth and peer based mental health programs.
Daniel Ortiz, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at Charles Drew University with a dual appointment at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a core scientist with the International Core of the UCLA/Drew Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS).
He received his BA in psychology in 1994 from the University of California, Berkeley, and his PhD in social psychology in 2001 from the University of California, Los Angeles. During his graduate studies, Dr. Ortiz was part of a research team at AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA).
As part of the Drew Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services he develops research programs targeting HIV/AIDS prevention in at-risk populations and has developed entertainment educational tools for HIV prevention including card games and comic books. His projects have included HIV/AIDS prevention in sub-Saharan Africa and measuring Los Angeles Latino day laborers HIV risk.
His research is guided by the perspective that individual behavior is strongly influenced by the social environment. To this end, Dr. Ortiz is very interested in creating interventions through media, education, and structural changes that are sensitive to social and cultural factors. He is also interested in increasing access to medical care and services for disadvantaged populations that may otherwise go unserved.
CONTACT: Drew CARES
Address:
1731 E 120th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90059
Phone: 323.357.3400
Fax: 323.357.3477
Email: drewcaresassist@cdrewu.edu
Getting to Drew CARES
Drew CARES is located on the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science campus in the Willowbrook neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Take the Wilmington Exit from the 105. This exit is east of the 105/110 interchange. Go right (south) on Wilmington. Go right (west) on 120th Street. Drew CARES is located between the Cobb and Keck buildings.
