URBAN ARCH Boston Cohort

Grant Title: URBAN ARCH (5/5) Boston Cohort – Alcohol And HIV-Associated Comorbidity and Complications: Frailty, Functional Impairment, Falls, and Fractures (The 4F Study)

The 4F study will continue to follow and expand (from 250 to 400 participants) the existing Boston Cohort in order to 1) test the associations between alcohol (and illicit drugs and polypharmacy) and falls (fractures secondarily), and 2) test the associations between alcohol (and illicit drugs and polypharmacy) and acute healthcare utilization (emergency department use and hospitalization for falls and fractures). This knowledge will serve to inform the development of ways to identify, prevent and manage falls, fractures, frailty and functional impairment among people living with HIV.

Principal Investigators:

Theresa Kim, MD, MSc
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, BUSM/BUSPH

Timothy Heeren, PhD
Professor of Biostatistics, BUSPH

Study Contact:

Kara Magane, MS (maganek@bu.edu)
Director of Research Operations, Community Health Sciences Department, BUSPH

Tiana Mason, (tjmason@bu.edu)
Research Assistant, Community Health Sciences Department, BUSPH

Study Investigators:

Alexander Walley, MD, MSc
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Community Health Sciences, BUSM/BUSPH

Simone Gill, PhD, OT, OTR 
Professor of Health Policy and Management, BUSPH

Christine Helfrich, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Assistant Professor of Medicine, BUSM

Kristine Erlandson, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Nicolas Bertholet, MD, MSc
Associate Physician, Privat Docent, Lecturer, Alcohol Treatment Center, Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland

Research Assistants:

Tiana Mason, BA

Recruitment Site: Boston Medical Center/Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.

First Cycle (2011-2016) Original Boston Cohort Grant Title: Addressing Alcohol/HIV Consequences in Substance Dependence

The original Boston Cohort was a prospective observational investigation of the effects of alcohol on people with HIV infection who may be affected by multiple substances of abuse (i.e. other drugs). It is now being continued as the 4F study. The Cohort also served as a platform for intervention trials. In its initial implementation, the project was designed to answer two research questions: Is unhealthy alcohol use associated with osteopenia in HIV-infected adults and does buprenorphine reduce heavy alcohol use?

Affiliated Studies:

Internet-Based Video-Conferencing to Address Alcohol Use And Pain Among Heavy Drinkers in HIV-Care

Click here for additional information about the original Boston Cohort. Click here to see baseline characteristics.