The Brooklyn WINS site is one of six clinical WIHS sites that together form the largest ongoing study of HIV infection in women in the US. he WIHS in general, and the SUNY Brooklyn site in particular, have demonstrated their ability to recruit, retain and report on a hard-to-reach population - poor, minority women of color- but a population that disproportionately constitutes the cohort of HIV infected people in this country. The Brooklyn WIHS site's retention rate, the highest among all of the WIHS sites, is 93.0% among the HIV- seropositives and 90.0% among the HIV-seronegatives. Our protocol compliance rates are above the WIHS-wide average in practically all study measures including data accuracy, specimen collection and colposcopy. In addition, we have contributed rapidly and disproportionately to most WIHS substudies. We plan to enroll a total of 441 women (306 HIV-seropositive, 135 HIV-seronegative) Brooklyn participants into WIHS IV. During WIHS IV, we will maintain or improve retention and protocol compliance rates, and continue to contribute to WIHS substudies. We have established an infrastructure that should assure success in implementing the protocols for WIHS IV. In collaboration with our colleagues at the other five WIHS sites and WDMAC, we are well-positioned to undertake the research agenda described in Part A of this application, an agenda which can substantively contribute to an understanding of HIV infection in women in the era of effective therapy. The SUNY Brooklyn WIHS investigators will contribute to the entire WIHS IV Science Agenda, with particular focus in the areas of neurocognition and behavioral science, cardiovascular and gynecological issues, including HPV infections. To position ourselves to best contribute to the success of WIHS IV we have initiated collaborations with external investigators, and have recruited new co-investigators with particular expertise in the areas of interest in the new proposal. The scientific insights and energies of the many collaborators at this and other sites will allow the WIHS to continue to be a resource capable of rapidly responding to advancing scientific knowledge in the field. Lay Language Summary: The Brooklyn WIHS site is one of six clinical WIHS sites that together form the largest ongoing epidemiologic study of HIV infection in women in the US. The contribution of Brooklyn investigators and field staff will enable the WIHS to achieve its logistic and scientific goals.
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