Advice from an Expert in HIV Research: Interview with Dr. Seth Kalichman

Kimberly M. Nelson, PhD, MPH, HIV and Sexual Health SIG Co-Chair

Dr. Seth Kalichman is a Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut. His research on preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and caring for those affected by the HIV epidemic has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1992. He is the editor-in-chief of AIDS and Behavior. We asked him his thoughts on the field of HIV research as well as advice for researchers starting out.

What are the hot topics in HIV research now and moving forward?

What keeps me interested in HIV behavioral research is that everything about HIV is always changing. The future is therefore hard to predict. But, of critical importance today is stigma as it impedes HIV prevention, testing and treatment. Despite countless theories, conceptual models, frameworks, and measures it’s shocking how little we know about HIV stigma and how it impacts health. There is no real consensus on how different stigmas interact, how those intersections are measured, and there are no effective interventions for limiting the harms of intersectional stigma.  Another pressing problem is how to address alcohol use by people who have HIV as well as those at-risk. Even moderate alcohol use is related to health complications in people living with HIV, and such drinking is a barrier to HIV preventive behaviors. Interventions are needed to address moderate alcohol use in order to reduce HIV risks and improve HIV health outcomes. 

What advice would you give someone starting out in the field?

It is important to have a passion for what you want to focus on in research. The trick is to figure out that passion. When I was starting out, I had a passion for the populations most affected by HIV, the social injustices of HIV and my own desire to care about something most people did not care about. That passion has carried me through my career. Once you figure out your passion, find a mentor who shares it. There are several excellent research centers with critical masses of HIV researchers, and most of them have postdoctoral training opportunities.  I would suggest looking at those centers carefully as a starting point; but not a stopping point. As long as I followed my passion for HIV behavioral research everything else seemed to follow – jobs, publishing, grants etc. Persistence is the key to research success and only passion will fuel that persistence. There are so few external reinforcements for research, it has to come from inside.

What are the most important factors that lead to success in publishing?

Publishing in respectable peer-reviewed journals is the currency for success in any research career. I believe there are many factors involved in publishing, including: (a) Be relevant. No one paper will be relevant to all journals. Finding the right home for a paper is a process. If you don’t believe in a paper, don’t try to publish it. But if you believe in it, don’t stop trying until it is published; (b) Be succinct. Few people will be as interested in your ideas as you are; (c) Be an objective critic of your own work. Ask others for feedback, but take a step back and look at your paper as if it were not yours; (d) Be open to criticism from reviewers and editors. Do not get too attached to your words. Peer review is a contact sport. Put on your helmet, be able to take a hit, and make your paper better.