Download 2001 Vaccine Think Tank Report *Please note this report is a PDF. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.

HAI’s vaccine think tank series is an ongoing conference series that address the challenge of creating HIV vaccines for worldwide use. The ninth meeting in this series, titled HIV Vaccines for Developing Countries: Establishing Networks for HIV Trials in Southern Africa, was held November 28–30, 2001 in Gaborone, Botswana.

Steven Lagakos, Chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Professor at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and Joseph Makhema, Specialist Physician at the Gaborone Private Hospital, served as co-chairs for this year’s symposium. The symposium showcased the significant political will and infrastructure existing in Botswana and highlighted the viability of Botswana as a future site for HIV vaccine trials. Past think tanks have been held in the United States, Senegal, and Tanzania.

HIV Vaccines for Developing Countries: Establishing Networks for HIV Trials in Southern Africa provided an opportunity for participants to share their expertise on critical issues particular to the design and implementation of vaccine trials in developing countries and practical approaches for establishing and carrying out trials in a culturally appropriate manner. Topics addressed in the meeting included ethical issues associated with establishing HIV vaccine trials in Africa, site selection for trials, critical aspects of trial design and implementation, the perspectives of African scientific and public health leaders, and the challenges of operating multi-center studies in the developing world.