NIDA's Center on AIDS and Other Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse (CAMCODA) is encouraging research applicants in the area of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS to respond to a recent NIH-wide Program Announcement that calls for research focusing on ethical considerations in human studies.

The religious, cultural, and family values surrounding drug abuse and HIV/AIDS are important influences in clinical and research decisionmaking for both patients and providers.Yet, few studies have examined how best to provide information about study methods and procedures to participants, the effects of different recruitment strategies on retention of study participants, or the effects of investigator characteristics and behavior on levels of study recruitment, retention, and withdrawal.

The Program Announcement, "Research on Ethical Issues in Human Studies" (PA-99-079), is sponsored jointly by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CAMCODA seeks to stimulate studies, in addition to investigator-initiated projects, that focus on participant or research process issues. Possible research topics include:

• evaluation of the cognitive ability required for patients to comprehend and consent to experimental procedures and risks;

• how potential research participants weigh risks and benefits;

• ways to address special issues related to research and medical records;

• disparate health needs among special populations;

• ethical issues surrounding the HIV/AIDS pandemic and its relationship to drug abuse; and

• the challenges in ethical design and conduct of cross-cultural studies, especially in research carried out in low- and middle-income areas.

Application deadlines are September 1, January 2, and May 1. Potential applicants can obtain more information on targeted ethics studies by contacting CAMCODA's Noble Jones or J.C. Comolli at 301-443-1801. Current research Program Announcements are available on NIDA's home page at www.drugabuse.gov under Funding Information.