Building an international collaboration on participatory health research.

The Problem: Participatory health research (PHR) is receiving increased international attention as an approach for addressing various health issues. However, PHR has not yet achieved the status of other forms of research in terms of having an impact on health policy decisions.

Purpose Of Article: This article reports on the current status of the new International Collaboration on Participatory Health Research (ICPHR).

Adding the female condom to HIV prevention interventions for women with severe mental illness: a pilot test.

We evaluated the efficacy of a gender-specific intervention to reduce sexual risk behaviors by introducing female-initiated methods to urban women with severe mental illness. Seventy-nine women received 10 sessions of an HIV prevention intervention or a control intervention. The primary outcome was unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse, expressed using the Vaginal Episode Equivalent (VEE) score.

Learning about general practice through qualitative interviews: lessons from a seminar course with medical students.

Background: A seminar course was developed in order to train medical students in qualitative research methods, while providing an introduction to the field of General Practice. Students were enabled to conduct semi-structured interviews with general practitioners (GPs), during which they learned about the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of frequently encountered medical problems. The course was carried out four times at two universities in Germany.

A call for an international collaboration on participatory research for health.

Participatory health research (PHR) has emerged as an important approach for addressing local health issues, including building capacity for health promotion. Increasingly, PHR is drawing the attention of communities, funders, decision-makers and researchers worldwide. It is time to consolidate what we know about PHR in order to secure its place as a source of knowledge and action for public health.

Relationship of stigma to HIV risk among women with mental illness.

Urban women with severe mental illness (SMI) are vulnerable to stigma and discrimination related to mental illness and other stigmatized labels. Stigma experiences may increase their risk for negative health outcomes, such as HIV infection. This study tests the relationship between perceived stigma and HIV risk behaviors among women with SMI.

Church ladies, good girls, and locas: stigma and the intersection of gender, ethnicity, mental illness, and sexuality in relation to HIV risk.

Inner city women with severe mental illness may carry multiple stigmatized statuses. In some contexts these include having a mental illness, being a member of an ethnic minority group, being an immigrant, being poor, and being a woman who does not live up to gendered expectations. These potentially stigmatizing identities influence both the way women's sexuality is viewed and their risk for HIV infection.

Setting up a peer review process for community-based organizations: conflicts and challenges.

Background: The authors are conducting a national demonstration project in Germany to develop quality assurance structures and methods for community-based HIV prevention.

Objectives: We sought to provide outside input to AIDS service organizations (ASOs) on their prevention work while improving the local discourse on the quality of HIV prevention.

Methods: A voluntary peer review process with community workers, funders, community members, and researchers as reviewers.

Faculty development in general practice in Germany: experiences, evaluations, perspectives.

From 1999 to 2001, the German Society of General Practice and Family Medicine (DEGAM) pioneered a faculty development programme to help general practitioners (GPs) interested in an academic career to develop their skills in teaching, primary care, quality assurance and research. The programme involves five weekend-training sessions over 18 months and applies a learner-centred approach. Participants choose the learning formats and switch between the roles of learners, teachers, chair persons and programme organizers.

Transforming the meaning of HIV/AIDS in recovery from substance use: a qualitative study of HIV-positive women in New York.

Recovery from substance use is a vital concern for many women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). This qualitative study explores the meaning of women's HIV infection for their transition from drug use to recovery. Interviews were conducted with 15 female clients of a drug treatment program and AIDS nursing home in New York City.