Georgian Biostatistics in Implementation Science Fogarty Training Program (GIFT)

The Georgian Biostatistics in Implementation Science Fogarty Training Program (GIFT) is an interdisciplinary training initiative designed to strengthen research capacity in HIV implementation science and biostatistics in Georgia (country). This program is a collaboration between Ilia State University in Georgia and the Yale School of Public Health, supported by the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health.

The GIFT Fellowship is designed to accelerate scientific innovation, enhance public health research capacity, and strengthen the implementation of evidence-based interventions in Georgia. By fostering international collaboration and knowledge exchange, the program aims to produce skilled researchers and leaders in HIV implementation science who can contribute to global health advancements.

The GIFT Fellowship aims to build a sustainable research infrastructure by providing faculty development, doctoral training, and immersive summer bootcamps in biostatistics and implementation science.

The program has three key objectives:

1. Faculty Development at Yale University
   • Four faculty members from Ilia State University will receive advanced training in HIV implementation science and biostatistics at Yale University.
   • This training will enhance their expertise in methodological research, data analysis, and practical applications of implementation science in public health.
2. PhD Training in Public Health
   • Six PhD students from Ilia State University will be selected for specialized training in biostatistics and implementation science.
   • Each summer, these students will participate in academic and research exchanges at Yale University, where they will collaborate with leading experts in the field.
3. Annual Summer Bootcamp on Implementation Science and Biostatistic
   • The program organizes an immersive summer bootcamp at Ilia State University, bringing together public health researchers, faculty, and students from Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC).
   • These intensive workshops provide hands-on training in HIV research methodologies, implementation science frameworks, and advanced biostatistical techniques.
   • The bootcamps serve as a platform for networking, mentorship, and research collaboration between scholars from Georgia, other LMIC and Yale University.

Visit GIFT Program at Ilia State University for more details about the program.

Interested candidates, including faculty members and PhD students from Georgia and other LMIC, are encouraged to apply. Applicants should have a strong interest in HIV research, implementation science, and biostatistics.

Frederick Altice, MD, MA is a professor of Medicine, Epidemiology and Public Health and is a clinician, clinical epidemiologist, intervention and implementation science researcher at Yale University School of Medicine and School of Public Health. He is a MPI of the GIFT project. His work has emerged primarily with a global health focus with funded research projects internationally in Malaysia, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, and Indonesia. He is currently also collaborating on projects with the NIH, WHO, UNAIDS, USAID, PEPFAR and UNODC. He is currently the director for two International Implementation Science Research and Training Centers with collaborations between Yale University and the University of Malaya and Sichuan University. During the Summer Boot Camp Trainings, Prof Altice conducts live Nominal Group Technique sessions, grant and manuscript writing tutorials, and shares his real-world implementation experience during war and the pandemic.

Denise Esserman, PhD is a Professor of biostatistics at Yale School of Public Health. As a member of the Yale Center for Analytical Sciences, she collaborates with a number of departments at the Yale School of Medicine, including the Clinical and Translational Science Award Program, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and the Cancer Center. Prof Esserman introduces the scholars to methodological and statistical considerations in implementation research. In addition, she leads the Advanced Biostatistics workshop during GIFT Bootcamp Training.

Irma Kirtadze, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Addiction Studies at Ilia State University with over 20 years of experience researching drug use disorders and their linkage to blood-borne infections such as HIV, hepatitis B/C, and STIs. Prof. Kirtadze has expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research methods, including recruitment, interviewing, and delivering HIV prevention interventions for key populations. Her focus is on HIV/AIDS prevention programs among key populations, HIV/AIDS prevention, harm reduction and implementation research in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. During the GIFT Bootcamp Training, Prof. Kirtadze shares her real-world experience in adapting evidence-based interventions, such as syringe vending machines, to the Georgian context.

Veriko Mirtskhulava, MD, PhD is an adjunct professor at Ilia State University School of natural science and medicine where she teaches biostatistics and epidemiology. Her research is focused in the field of TB and infectious diseases.

Irma Kirtadze, MD, PhD is an associate professor in Addiction Studies at Ilia State University
School of Arts and Sciences where she teaches qualitative and quantitative research methods in addiction, qualitative analysis, health promotion programs, neurobiological mechanisms of addiction, gender focused recovery pathway, and dual diagnosis. Her research focus is centered around the implementation of syringe vending machines for people who inject drugs in Georgia.

Mari Murtskhvaladze, PhD is an associate professor at Ilia State University School of natural science and medicine where she teaches data analysis, laboratory methods, and molecular genetic methods in various applications. Her research is focused on Genetics and genomics, phylogeny, and population genetics.

Nino Skhirtladze, PhD is an associate professor in psychology at Ilia State University School of Arts and Sciences where she teaches statistics, qualitative methods in psychology, and personality development in social contexts. Her research is focused on developmental and personality psychology (identity formation, parenting, motivation).

Irina Vardanashvili, PhD is an assistant professor in psychology at Ilia State Uniersity School of Arts and Sciences where she teaches statistics, and quantitative research methods. Her research focuses on the psychology of religiosity.

Tamari Mgebrishvili is a PhD student in Public Health at Ilia State University in Tbilisi, Georgia. Her doctoral research focuses on improving access to PrEP for women at risk of HIV by identifying key barriers and facilitators. Tamari has extensive experience in drug use and addiction research and currently works with the Alternative Georgia Addiction Research Center.
Mariam Sherozia is an early-career researcher and a second-year PhD student at Ilia State University. Her PhD research focuses on a mixed-method implementation study exploring the feasibility and acceptability of using HIV self-tests among people who inject drugs (PWID) via HIV Prevention Vending Machines. Her research interests include drug use and HIV prevention, harm reduction, implementation science, and the development of novel public health interventions.

Irakli Natsvlishvili, MD, is a current PhD student at Ilia State University. His doctoral research focuses on integrating the alcohol, smoking, and substance involvement screening test (ASSIST) into Georgia’s prenatal healthcare system, aiming to enhance substance use interventions and HIV prevention efforts. His research interests include the patterns of psychoactive substance use, the prevalence of infectious diseases among people who inject drugs, implementation science, and the development of effective interventions in drug treatment and public health domains.

• Tamar Mgebrishvili, Irma Kirtadze, Ali Mirzazadeh & David Otiashvili (07 Feb 2025): Cannabis Dependence Among Georgian Small-Scale Cannabis Growers: Results of a Cross-Sectional Online Survey, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2025.24635144
• Otiashvili D, Mgebrishvili T, Sherozia M, Alania M, Kirtadze I. Psychoactive substance use among Russian migrants relocated in Georgia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine: Qualitative study. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2025 Mar;44(3):897-907. doi: 10.1111/dar.14019. Epub 2025 Feb 10.

Upcoming for Summer 2025