In order to further improve the research capabilities of Ponce School of Medicine, the institution has developed an aggressive faculty recruitment plan. In accordance with review critiques provided to us, and reflecting certain recent developments, our efforts will focus on recruiting clinical investigators in the fields of AIDS/HIV-1, cancer, asthma, cardio-vascular diseases, and stigma research. Experienced investigators will be recruited both to serve as magnet investigators and to mentor junior investigators. Partnerships will be developed with research-intensive United State institutions for faculty development including - as mentioned above - mentorship, but also for collaboration, etc. In this phase of the program, we will concentrate particularly on recruiting investigators working in the fields of cancer and AIDS/HIV-1 research.