Core and Cohort Updates

Admin Core

After a fun and productive annual meeting, the Admin Core is beginning to work with the U01s and BDM core on implementing ideas generated at the meeting. The Admin Core will lead the coordinated effort as we focus on putting together renewal grant applications over the next year. As we approach the summer meeting season, we will support investigators as they prepare presentations of URBAN ARCH data. Jeffrey, Carly and Natalia met with other members of URBAN ARCH and the NIAAA CHAART Consortia in DC this month to enhance cross consortia data harmonization, problem solving, collaboration, and training. To the left is a picture of the Admin Core (l-r: Michelle, Tali, Carly, Jeffrey, Natalia).

BDM Core

Leah Forman, a Statistical Data Assistant, in the BDM, graduated from BUSPH this month with a Master’s in Public Health. Armando Aguirre (pictured here) completed his BUSPH practicum with the BDM and also graduated with a Master’s in Public Health. Both Leah and Armando were dual concentrators in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Uganda Cohort

As of April 2014, the Ugandan ARCH team has enrolled 425 of 450 participants and has conducted 284 six-month assessments, 168 twelve-month assessments, 76 eighteen-month assessments, 7 twenty four-month assessments, and 1 thirty-month assessment.

Judy Hahn, Adam Carrico, and Sarah Woolf-King presented at the CHAART Scientific Meeting in D.C. in May.

Judy Hahn submitted a grant renewal for BREATH.

Russia Cohort and ZINC RCT

As of April 2014, Russia ARCH has enrolled 162 of 250 participants and has conducted 79 six-month assessments and 47 twelve-month assessments.

As of April 2014, ZINC has enrolled 68 of 250 participants and has conducted 4 six-month assessments.

The team was re-energized by the annual meeting and has kicked recruitment up into high gear, remaining committed to completing study recruitment by the target dates. An abstract examining the association between heavy alcohol use and food insecurity was not accepted for the International AIDS Conference, but was presented at the CHAART Scientific Meeting in DC on May 14, 2014. To the right is a picture of our Russia ARCH assessor, Janna, in action.

Boston Cohort

As of April 2014, the Boston ARCH team has enrolled 181 of 250 subjects. 131 six-month follow-up assessments and 45 twelve-month follow-up assessments have been completed. Eighteen-month follow-up assessments are scheduled to begin in June 2014.

In May 2014, several members of the study team traveled to Washington D.C. for the 2014 Collaborative Centers for HIV/AIDS and Alcohol Outcomes Research (CHAART) Scientific Meeting. At this meeting, Dr. Richard Saitz, the PI of the Boston ARCH Study, co-chaired a panel discussion on alcohol/HIV intervention studies and presented a poster on the association between recent alcohol consumption and bone mineral density in the cohort. In June, Dr. Saitz will also present a poster on this analysis at the 37th Annual Research Society on Alcoholism’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Bellevue, Washington.

Above is Laura Vercammen, ARCH Boston Research Assistant, presenting on the Boston ARCH study at the BUSPH Practicum Poster Session. She put together an excellent poster exploring (among other things) what it takes to implement a large scale research study and how to identify and address some of the common threats to validity that are not always addressed by study design alone. Great job Laura!