The Student Opportunities for AIDS/HIV Research (SOAR) Program is a two-year intensive academic and research mentoring experience for juniors and seniors at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor grounded in feminist, intersectional theory and praxis.
The program aims to support students in the completion of their undergraduate degree and prepare them for doctoral-level graduate education and eventual research careers in HIV-related behavioral and social science research (BSSR), with a preferred focus on HIV prevention and treatment within sexual and gender minority communities.
SOAR is funded by a five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, National Institutes of Health (1R25MH126703-01).
The program is administered by the University of Michigan's Institute for Research on Women and Gender, in collaboration with the School of Public Health, School of Nursing, School of Social Work, and College of Literature Science & the Arts.
The SOAR Team:
- Gary Harper - Co-Director & Research Director; Professor of Health Behavior & Health Education, School of Public Health
- Anna Kirkland - Co-Director & Academic Director; Director, Institute for Research on Women & Gender; Professor of Women's & Gender Studies
- Andrea Bolivar - Education Director; Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies; Faculty Associate of Latina/o Studies Program
- Heidi Bennett - Project Coordinator & Academic Counselor
- Gabriel Johnson - Graduate & Undergraduate Peer Mentor Coordinator; PhD Student, Health Behavior & Health Education, School of Public Health
- Nicole Perry - Administrative Coordinator