Investments in the future of behavioral science: the University of California, San Francisco, Visiting Professors Program.

A need exists for the promotion of diversity in the scientific workforce to better address health disparities. In response to this need, funding agencies and institutions have developed programs to encourage ethnic-minority and early-career scientists to pursue research careers. We describe one such program, the University of California, San Francisco, Visiting Professors Program, which trains scientists to conduct HIV/AIDS-related research in communities of color. The program provides training and mentoring in navigating grant processes and developing strong research proposals and provides crucial networking opportunities. Although this program is focused on community-based HIV prevention, its principles and methods are widely applicable.