Julia Hidalgo, ScD, MSW, MPH serves as Research Professor in Health Policy at the GWU SPHHS. Dr. Hidalgo also is the CEO of Positive Outcomes, Inc. (POI). She has worked for almost two decades in HIV planning, financing, and research at the local, State, and national levels.

From 1988 to 1997, Dr. Hidalgo was Chief of the Maryland Center for AIDS Services, Planning, and Development. During her decade-long tenure, Dr. Hidalgo organized and sought funding for a statewide network of pediatric, adolescent, maternal, and adult HIV health and social support organizations. She has substantial expertise in the programmatic and fiscal management, financing, and evaluation of HIV counseling, testing, care, and secondary prevention. She managed complex statewide Titles II and IV, HOPWA and WIN Initiative programs. As the PI of the multi-grantee WIN Initiative, Dr. Hidalgo served as the chairperson of the grantee and consumer advisory committee. The WIN Initiative was organized very similarly to that described in the YCMSM announcement. Based on the WIN Initiative experience, Dr. Hidalgo has substantial insight into the challenges inherent in organizing and evaluating service sites.

During her decade-long tenure at DHMH, Dr. Hidalgo was the PI of research and evaluation projects funded by AHCPR, CDC, FDA, HCFA, HRSA, Kaiser Family Foundation, NIMH, and industry. Her research findings have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Inquiry, Medical Care, JAIDS, American Journal of Public Health, Journal of the National Medical Association, Pediatric AIDS and HIV Infection, and elsewhere. Since leaving DHMH in 1997, Dr. Hidalgo has worked extensively for HAB on numerous evaluation, policy, and research projects.

At GWU, Dr. Hidalgo has led research teams in several relevant projects: an assessment of the administrative costs of Title IV programs, evaluation of the factors associated with State ADAP per capita expenditures, and coordination of Title I-funded AIDS Pharmacy Assistance Programs with ADAPs. Dr. Hidalgo has also participated with other GWU researchers in numerous policy studies for HAB, CMS, and CDC. Most recently, they are completing a series of policy studies in anticipation of reauthorization of the RWCA and an assessment of the unintended consequences of HAB policies. Dr. Hidalgo was PI of the Center for Integrated HIV Care Networks, a SPNS project. In the four-year SPNS project she organized and led a TA and training team in the provision of TA to three HIV care networks in Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan, as well as executive training programs throughout the US. The team also developed and widely disseminated web-based TA materials regarding HIV managed care and integrated network development. These activities have substantial similarity to those to be undertaken by the proposed Center.

At POI, Dr. Hidalgo has conducted many projects sponsored by HAB. POI is conducting a multi-year contract to evaluate various aspects of the impact of the RWCA and MAI. POI completed Phase 1 of a two-phase project to identify best practices of HIV youth care and prevention programs throughout the US. POI interviewed HIV youth programs and prepared a draft report for HAB. Based on the wealth of information gathered, HAB supplemented the POI contract and an additional 22 programs are being interviewed. A guide to best practices of HIV youth care and prevention programs is in draft and would be expanded to include information gathered from the additional interviews. HAB plans to use the guide as a resource for RWCA grantees and subgrantees interested in targeting HIV-infected youth. Through the project, Dr. Hidalgo became very familiar with most HIV care and prevention programs in the US.

Dr. Hidalgo holds a Doctor of Science (ScD) degree in operations research and health services research from The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and Hygiene, an MPH in health planning and policy from the University of California at Berkeley, an MSW in research and evaluation from San Jose State University, and a baccalaureate degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz in community studies.