Women's Interagency HIV Study

The Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) was established in August 1993 to investigate the impact and progression of HIV disease in women. The WIHS enrolls both HIV-positive and HIV-negative women. The core portion of the study includes a detailed and structured interview, physical and gynecologic examination, and laboratory testing. The WIHS participants are also asked to enroll in various sub-studies, such as cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal, and neurocognition. New proposals for WIHS sub-studies are submitted for approval by various scientific investigators from around the world. The Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) was established in August 1993 to investigate the impact and progression of HIV disease in women. The WIHS enrolls both HIV-positive and HIV-negative women. The core portion of the study includes a detailed and structured interview, physical and gynecologic examination, and laboratory testing. The WIHS participants are also asked to enroll in various sub-studies, such as cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal, and neurocognition. New proposals for WIHS sub-studies are submitted for approval by various scientific investigators from around the world. The WIHS is funded primarily by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), with additional co-funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH). Targeted supplemental funding for specific projects is also provided by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), and the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH). WIHS data collection is also supported by UL1-TR000004 (UCSF CTSA) and UL1-TR000454 (Atlanta CTSA). WIHS clinical sites are located in and around 10 cities in the United States and are headed by Principal Investigators: Bronx, NY (Kathryn Anastos); Brooklyn, NY (Howard Minkoff, Deborah Gustafson); Washington, DC (Seble Kassaye); San Francisco, CA (Ruth Greenblatt, Bradley Aouizerat, Phyllis Tien); Chicago, IL (Mardge Cohen); Miami, FL (Margaret Fischl, Lisa Metsch); Chapel Hill, NC (Ada Adimora); Atlanta, GA (Igho Ofotokun, Gina Wingood); Birmingham, AL (Michael Saag, Mirjam-Colette Kempf); and Jackson, MS (Deborah Konkle-Parker). The WIHS Data Management and Analysis Center (Stephen Gange, Elizabeth Golub) is located in Baltimore, MD. Each consortium is affiliated with local research institutes to see study participants and has its own Community Advisory Board.