Population Council Research that makes a difference

Horizons Synthesis Background Papers

In July 1997 the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a cooperative agreement to the Population Council for implementation of an operations research program, Global Leadership, Research, and Development—Best Practices in HIV/AIDS. From 1997 to 2008, this program—known as Horizons—was implemented by the Population Council in close collaboration with the International Center for Research on Women, the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Tulane University, Family Health International, and Johns Hopkins University. Spanning a crucial decade in the universal fight against HIV and AIDS, Horizons made major contributions to the identification and development of best practices associated with the prevention and mitigation of HIV and AIDS in developing countries by conducting operations research to identify effective approaches for strengthening and scaling up of HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs.

A special section of Public Health Reports (PHR) (March–April 2010) was produced that contains six articles that provide a synopsis of research conducted under the Horizons program from 1997 to 2008. We hope that in providing this backward-looking but forward-thinking review of work accomplished under the Horizons program, other organizations may find the results useful for their own program planning and implementation.

On this page you will find links to the abstracts for the articles as well as links to the PDFs of the background papers from which these journal articles were written.

Looking Back, Moving Forward:

• Access to Antiretroviral Therapy for Adults and Children with HIV Infection in Developing Countries: Horizons Studies, 2002–2008 / Avina Sarna, Scott E. Kellerman (PHR abstract) (synthesis background paper PDF)
• Implementing PMTCT Programs in Resource-constrained Settings, Horizons studies 1999 to 2007 / Carolyn Baek, Naomi Rutenberg (PHR abstract) (synthesis background paper PDF)
• Improving the Lives of Orphans and Other Children Affected by AIDS, Horizons Studies 1998 to 2007 / Katie D. Schenk, Annie Michaelis, Tobey Nelson, Lisanne Brown, Ellen Weiss (PHR abstract) (synthesis background paper PDF)
• Promoting Gender Equity to Fight HIV, Horizons Studies 1999 to 2007 / Julie Pulerwitz, Annie P. Michaelis, Ellen Weiss (PHR abstract) (synthesis background paper PDF)
• Reducing HIV-related Stigma, Horizons Studies 2000 to 2007 / Julie Pulerwitz, Annie Michaelis, Ellen Weiss, Lisanne Brown, Vaishali Sharma Mahendra (PHR abstract) (synthesis background paper PDF)
• Understanding the HIV Risk and Sexual Health Needs of Men Who Have Sex with
  Men: Horizons Studies 2001 to 2008 / Scott Geibel, Waimar Tun, Placide Tapsoba, Scott Kellerman (PHR abstract) (synthesis background paper PDF)