The University of South Florida Center for HIV Education and Research received a $16 million federal grant.

The five-year grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration will enable the center to lead a multi-university effort to combat AIDS through training of doctors and other health care providers, a release said.

The USF center is within the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy and was founded in 1988 by Michael D. Knox, director of the center and a professor.

Knox has secured more than $50 million in external funding since joining USF in 1986.

The latest grant award will be used to operate the Florida/Caribbean AIDS Education and Training Center for health care providers treating people with HIV/AIDS in the state, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.