Division of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (DAIDS)

General Questions

1. What is the WIHS, how many participants are included, and where are the current study sites?

   The WIHS a multi-center, prospective, observational study of women who are either HIV-infected or at risk for HIV acquisition. Until the release of the current FOA inviting applications for the WIHS-V, the study has been a closed cohort of women from three prior enrollment waves: 1) cohort inception between 1994–1995 in which 2,625 women were enrolled (2,056 HIV-infected [including those with AIDS or low CD4 cell count] and 569 HIV-negative women); 2) cohort expansion in 2001–2002 in which 1,143 additional women were enrolled (254 HIV-positive [no AIDS and HAART naïve]; 484 HIV-positive [no AIDS prior to HAART/HAART experienced]; and 406 HIV-negative women); 3) cohort replenishment during 2011-2012, when existing clinical sites began to recruit new participants to replace those who had died since 2000 (target of 292 HIV-positive women [age 30–55 years, either HAART naïve or started HAART with a regimen that did not include ddI or d4T] and 121 HIV-negative women age 35–60 years with one or more risk factors for HIV-infection). As of September 2011, over 2,200 women were reported in active follow-up (completed at least one study visit).

   WIHS is conducted at six clinical research sites (CRSs), each of which represents the population of HIV-infected women in or out of care within their geographical region, and is administered by the following grantee institutions: Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York; SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, New York; Hektoen Research Center in Chicago, Illinois; Georgetown University in Washington, DC; University of California at San Francisco in San Francisco, California; University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. The current WIHS data management and analysis center (WDMAC) is located at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.

2. How is WIHS funded?

   The WIHS is primarily funded by NIAID, with co-funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Co-funding has been provided also for specific substudies by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). New to WIHS-V will be the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) as an additional NIH co-funding institute.

3. How is the WIHS research relevant to the NIAID portfolio?

   WIHS is an integral part of NIAID’s portfolio of research on HIV in women, and plays an important role in NIAID’s effort to understand the current epidemiology of HIV infection, disease progression, treatment use and outcomes, and related co-morbidities among HIV-positive individuals in the United States (U.S.). Understanding differences in HIV disease and treatment outcomes between women compared to men, and in different racial and ethnic groups, is a critical research goal.

4. How does WIHS contribute to what is known about the current state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic?

   HIV/AIDS continues to be a significant public health problem around the world. More than 56,000 people become infected with HIV each year in the U.S., with 600,000 deaths among people with AIDS to date in this country alone. The HIV-1 epidemic in the U.S. has undergone substantial changes since the inception of WIHS in 1993. Originally an epidemic of men who have sex with men, HIV/AIDS is now a generalized heterosexual epidemic in some U.S. cities. Rates of HIV-1 infection among women, particularly minority women, have risen over time. HIV is now the third leading cause of death for African American men and women ages 35-44. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 40 percent of the 455,636 persons living with AIDS and half of those dying from AIDS in the U.S. in 2007 lived in the South. Research indicates that women and men with HIV infection can achieve nearly normal life-spans if treated with effective antiretroviral agents. However, barriers to treatment reduce the proportion of Americans who achieve optimal therapy. In 2011, the HIV Prevention Therapy Network (HPTN) demonstrated in protocol HPTN 052 that the risk of HIV transmission was reduced 92 percent within discordant dyads when the infected partner was treated with anti-retroviral therapy. This confirmed multiple observational studies and supports the idea that HIV treatment will be an effective method to prevent HIV infection. Understanding how to achieve optimal therapy effectiveness is a public health priority for improving individual outcomes and for controlling the spread of HIV. Because WIHS enrolls women without regard to their clinical care status, the study is well positioned to study the uptake of antiretroviral medications, as well as the predictors of successful and sustained viral suppression. WIHS also has the capacity to conduct research to define the clinical outcomes for women with HIV across their full lifespan. Determining the causal factors in disease manifestation requires extensive evaluation of women with and without HIV, and women across several decades of life.

Administration and Oversight

1. How is the WIHS managed?

   The WIHS Executive Committee (EC) is responsible for managing the overall scientific aims of the WIHS, and is composed of the Principal Investigators (PIs) from each awardee institution, a WIHS community advisory board member selected by study subjects to represent their interests, and the NIH Project Scientists. EC members prioritize the WIHS Scientific Agenda, oversee the completion of research within WIHS, and work with external investigators who wish to conduct research using current WIHS data, specimens, and other resources. In addition, changes to existing study procedures, and proposals for new research (submitted by internal and external investigators) are reviewed with approval and prioritization based on a consensus decision of the EC. Each awardee PI is a voting member of the EC. In the case of multiple-PI awards, consensus is reached to cast a single vote that is representative of the site. All members of the Executive Committee are required to accept and implement policies approved by the WIHS EC.

   In managing cooperative agreements (U01s) such as the WIHS awards, Project Scientists from NIAID and the co-funding Institutes have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role for NIH research grants. The NIH Project Scientists will likewise do so through technical assistance, advice and coordination across the NIH Institutes during the conduct of all WIHS-V activities. Each NIH Project Scientist is a voting member of the EC. The NIAID Program Official will be responsible for the normal scientific and programmatic stewardship of each WIHS award, facilitate co-funding issues, and will be named in the award notice. However, the Program Official is NOT a member of the WIHS EC.

   Specific areas of scientific focus are cultivated by collective groups of investigators with common research interests and goals, collectively known as the WIHS Working Groups (WGs). Each WG membership includes WIHS Project Directors and/or PIs, as well as senior and junior investigators at grantee institutions, with external consultations sought as needed.

2. What is the role of the WIHS External Advisory Board?

   NIAID and the co-funding Institutes will assemble a WIHS External Advisory Board for WIHS-V. This Board will advise NIAID, co-funding Institutes, and the WIHS EC on current progress, suggest revisions to timelines, and establish scientific and funding priorities for projects proposed across WIHS. The Board will be comprised of trans-NIH staff, other governmental experts, members of academia, and industry representatives. It is anticipated that the Board will meet once per year for the duration of WIHS-V.

Renewal and Expansion

1. What is the purpose of renewing and expanding WIHS?

   The purpose of renewing the WIHS is to continue support for pathogenesis, virology, epidemiologic outcomes, and comparative effectiveness research in a representative cohort of U.S. women. The specific goals of WIHS-V are to continue characterizing the long-term, natural and treated history of HIV infection, and by recruiting and retaining new women into the cohort, provide insight into the changing demographics of the HIV-1 epidemic among women in the U.S. In addition, WIHS will move to a rolling cohort design whereby new women will be enrolled to account for prior cohort members who are later lost to follow-up.

   WIHS is a unique global resource because it includes a comparable control group of HIV seronegative women, is a source of information on highly characterized, rare phenotypes, is a study of predominately minority women, and documents co-morbidities faced by women that are not well represented in other clinical studies. Evaluations performed in the WIHS go beyond clinical care and includes assessments of long-term outcomes in the era of effective antiretroviral therapy, in-depth interviewer administered questionnaires, comprehensive physical and gynecologic examinations, ascertainment of HIV- and related health care, and provides clinical and laboratory data linked to a high quality repository of stored samples. Enrolling more women to the study in WIHS-V, and accounting for women lost to follow-up, will better reflect current treatment practices, and is crucial in order to maintain study power and relevance to U.S. HIV epidemic in women.

2. What institutions are eligible to apply?

   The current WIHS clinical grantee institutions are eligible to apply to the WIHS-V FOA. In addition, applications will be accepted from institutions with the capacity to enroll the target populations of HIV-positive and HIV-negative but at risk women from the Southern region of the U.S. (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Texas only). The current WDMAC is eligible to submit a renewal application as the data management and analysis center in response to the WIHS-V FOA. Applications for the WIHS data management and analysis center will be accepted only from the current WDMAC.

3. What are the enrollment criteria for women to be recruited in WIHS-V?

   Existing WIHS CRSs may propose to recruit up to 100 new HIV+ and HIV- women at the site during the period covered by WIHS-V. Applicant institutions for a new Southern U.S. CRS may recruit 200-300 HIV+ and HIV- women. The goal of WIHS-V is to recruit around 1,000 new women (250 HIV+ recent HAART initiators, 250 HIV+ HAART naïve, and 500 HIV-negative matching the age distribution of HIV+ women). While all applicants should describe their enrollment plans, the final determination of the specific sample sizes and enrollment criteria for existing and the new Southern U.S. CRSs will be determined by NIH and the WIHS EC after consultation with the WIHS External Advisory Board. In general the target strata at each CRS may differ by age, race, documented previous use of anti-HIV medications, and clinical health history as determined from medical record abstraction. A focus will include ensuring that the most at-risk HIV-negative women are targeted for enrollment in addition to enrolling HIV+ women. Having access to consistent clinical care is not an inclusion requirement for enrollment to the current WIHS, and documenting the disassociation of WIHS participants from HIV and related clinical care is a key element to understanding the true epidemiology of HIV among women. However, all WIHS CRS applications should describe how the site facilitates access to clinical care for all enrollees. WIHS will also move to a rolling cohort, and successful CRSs should anticipate replacing women who become lost to follow-up during the period of WIHS-V.

4. For the purposes of the WIHS-V FOA, what is a Clinical Research Site vs Clinical Site?

   All WIHS-V clinical applicants must submit proposals to serve as a WIHS CRS. The CRS is responsible for not only adhering to the standard WIHS data and specimen collection protocols, and recruiting and retaining the target population of women in WIHS, but also must carry out a scientific agenda of research that is either limited to the applicant organization (and collaborators) or extended WIHS-wide. While each application should be distinct, all WIHS-V applicants must demonstrate integration of a proposed “local” research agenda into the larger WIHS cohort goals. Only those applications that propose outstanding research, as deemed by the outcome of the peer review process, will be eligible to receive funding as a CRS. Applicant budgets are expected to include project costs to carry out local and WIHS-wide scientific goals using the local population. However, it is acceptable to also mention, albeit not budget, the costs for which support would be required to extend such projects to other WIHS CRSs. In addition, because resources are limited for the WDMAC to perform all conceivable WIHS analyses, budgets associated with local and WIHS-wide scientific agendas can include costs for local statistical and analytic support to carry out the research plans.

   In order to balance the WIHS cohort geographically and maintain the sample sizes to address study objectives on long-term outcomes, NIAID may choose to continue funding one or more existing WIHS CRSs as a Clinical Site (CS). A CS will be responsible for adhering to the standard WIHS data and specimen collection protocols, and recruiting and retaining the target population of women in WIHS. The decision to fund a site at the CS level will be made based on the outcome of the peer review process, with funding to be based on per-patient cost negotiated between the institution and NIAID prior to issuing an award. The new Southern U.S. CRS must be competitive at the CRS level in order to receive funding.

5. Is the scope of the WDMAC expected to change in WIHS-V?

   No. No additional activities are expected that are beyond the current scope of the WDMAC in supporting the WIHS Consortium. Sufficient resources will be provided for the WDMAC to maintain existing central functions as well as fully integrate the new Southern CRS into processes necessary to routinely access standardized WIHS core and substudy protocols; manuals of operation; source documents, informed consent templates, and data collection forms; web-based communication and document storage tools; central data management and reporting systems; programmer consultation and analytic support at WDMAC for EC-approved projects; committee conference calls and meetings, and prepare for data audit site visits.

6. Are Multiple Principal Investigator (MPI) applications allowed?

   Yes, MPI applications are highly encouraged for CRS and the WDMAC applications. Meritorious MPI applications for a CRS would include a team with diverse expertise in clinical infectious diseases and HIV epidemiology. Applications for the new Southern CRS can include MPIs from one or more institutions within the Southern states of interest listed in the FOA but must have access to patient populations from one or more of these Southern states.

   Current WIHS CRS awardees are not eligible to submit applications proposing either single or MPI leadership for the new Southern CRS. However, existing CRS awardees may be included as collaborators in applications proposed for the new Southern CRS.

7. What is the page limit for the Research Strategy section? Are there requirements specific to this FOA that will be included in the scored criteria?

   All applicant organizations can submit a response to the WIHS-V FOA that includes a maximum of 30 pages for the Research Strategy Section of the SF-424. This is the only exception for this FOA; all other page limits for U01 applications must be followed: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms_page_limits.htm. In addition to standard criteria, additional WIHS-specific element are included in the scored review criteria for the WIHS-V FOA. All applicants should be sure to thoroughly review all elements in “Section V, Application Review Information “ of the FOA.

8. What are the qualifications for the clinical health practitioners who will perform the physical examinations each study visit?

   Healthcare practitioners who perform the required WIHS physical examinations can include physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. However, all study practitioners must be certified and state licensed. In addition, as documented by the WDMAC, study practitioners must complete the required WIHS physical examination training process and must maintain routine proficiency assessments in following study procedures.

9. Will training be required for WIHS study interviewers?

   Yes, WIHS study interviewers must complete the required, centralized interview training process managed by the WDMAC and must maintain routine proficiency assessments in following study procedures.

10. Are there additional requirements for public use data access and data sharing?

    All clinical and laboratory data collected by WIHS sites become part of the overall WIHS database (each CRS submits patient visit and testing results on a regular basis to WDMAC via a Web-based system). In turn, WDMAC returns datasets to the sites after data curation is completed. The most current WIHS clinical and laboratory data are made available to internal and external collaborators through the “concept sheet” mechanism, which can be accessed on the public WIHS website. All applicants to the WIHS-V FOA should describe how site investigators will adhere to WIHS concept sheet and publication policies. All CRS and the WDMAC applicants should describe how data from local research will be made available to the internal WIHS and external research investigators.

    All WIHS-V applications must include a plan describing how data documentation and sharing will be accomplished within one year after data collection, as well as appropriate safeguards to protect patient privacy implemented at the national WIHS level. In addition, all applications should describe any current ethical and/or logistical challenges to full data sharing and how the CRS or WDMAC intends to overcome or remediate such conflicts.

    As a reminder that in accordance with NIH Data Sharing policies, the WDMAC is responsible for the annual creation of a WIHS public-use data (PUD) electronic file covering the data collection period up to 18 months before the file's creation. All collected variables must be provided in a widely useable format with appropriate, complete data dictionaries to accompany the data. This compilation of de-identified data is released for public use each year, and is available for purchase from the National Technical Information Service.

11. What types of comparative effectiveness research will be allowed?

    Proven health interventions that do not require Investigational New Drug (IND) applications and are of low risk to participants will be allowed in WIHS-V. These include, but are not limited to research on: Smoking cessation, alcohol and/or drug abuse interventions; amelioration of depression or depressive symptoms; measures to improve ARV adherence; exercise regimens for weight loss, to reduce toxicity, and/or impact HIV-related frailty; measures to improve cervical and other cancer screening.

12. How do I find information about the groups with whom WIHS collaborates?

    The public WIHS website is a useful source of information about WIHS including how the consortium collaborates with non-WIHS investigators. Some NIH-funded collaborators include: North America region of the International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS, the Centers for AIDS Research, Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study.

13. The WIHS-V FOA suggests areas of focus in the “Research Scope of WIHS-V” section, but are applications limited to only those areas?

    The areas of focus suggested in the “Research Scope of WIHS-V” section were not intended to be all inclusive. In addition, proposed projects are expected to be well integrated across several areas and disciplines whether or not the proposed scientific topics were suggested in the FOA.

14. How can substance use aims, sub-aims, or hypotheses reflect the integrated objectives and research scope examples in the FOA?

    Substance use-related research in the WIHS should take advantage of the unique opportunities of a long-term clinical cohort, and should be consistent with the major priority research domains (treatment, co-morbidities and pathogenesis) as presented in the FOA. The effects of substance use on factors such as specific risk behaviors (e.g., sexual practices), health behaviors, or psychological status associated with aging, should occur in the context of clinical outcomes that reflect the larger priority objectives of WIHS. Similarly, substance use and patterns of substance use over time, and their relationship to natural and treated disease history should be considered with respect to the broader clinical research agenda, including co-morbidities (e.g., metabolic consequences, liver function, cardiovascular disease, HCV, neurocognitive functioning), therapeutics (e.g., adherence, treatment impact, resistance), and pathogenesis (e.g., immune function, host genetics). Proposed projects should highlight opportunities for both focused and integrated investigations not possible in typical community or clinic samples.

Budgeting

1. How many applications does NIH intend to fund?

   Based on funding anticipated to be available in FY13, six to seven meritorious clinical research site awards, and one meritorious WDMAC award, are expected to be funded. This will include one new CRS in the Southern U.S. The cooperative agreement (U01) mechanism will be utilized. All awards funded under the WIHS-V FOA will comprise the WIHS-V epidemiologic cohort.

2. What is the maximum total costs and project period for WIHS-V applications?

   The first-year budget associated with all clinical research site applications is capped at $3.5 million in total costs. The first-year budget associated with the WDMAC application is capped at $2.2 million in total costs. The maximum project period for all WIHS-V applications is five years.

3. To assist with budget preparations, what evaluations must WIHS study visits include?

   Provided below is a summary of data collection elements included in WIHS study visits. Although the National Repository will provide the containers and cover the costs to ship specimens from local sites to this Repository, applicant budgets should include all costs for the collection, processing, and temporary storage of specimens. The specific protocol procedures and documentation can be obtained on the public WIHS website; WIHS Study Forms mentioned below can be obtained on the public WIHS website for the most current visit, Visit 35.

   Visit Component	WIHS Form	Target	Frequency	Comment
   Informed Consent		All, baseline	Every 6 months per indication
   Interview
   Baseline history	F20	All, baseline	Once	For HIV positive enrollees to include verification of date of start of ARVs, and immediately pre-ARV CD4 cell count and viral load anchoring data (if enrollee has taken ART previous to enrollment).
   Sociodemographics	F21	All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months
   Health History	F22Hx	All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months	Includes prompts for medical record review, outcome verification for key clinical endpoints
   Medication use	F22MED	All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months	Includes ARV reporting
   Antiretroviral (ARV) dosage	DSG	HIV positive on ARV	Every 6 months
   Antiviral meds	DRUG 1	Per skip routine	Every 6 months	Includes adherence instruments
   Non-ARV meds	DRUG 2	Per skip routine	Every 6 months	Includes multiple choice and open field items to query all medication use
   Hepatitis meds	DRUG 3	Per skip routine	Every 6 months
   Obstetric/Gynecologic History	F23	All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months
   Family & personal medical history	HX	All, baseline	Once
   Menopausal symptoms	MEN01	All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months
   Alcohol, drug use & sexual behavior	F24BEH	All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months
   Health care utilization	F25	All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months
   History of abuse	F26r	All, baseline	Once
   Psychosocial measures	F26	All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months
   Race & ethnicity questionnaire	RACE	All, baseline	Once
   Medical Record Review and Abstraction		All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months	Outcome verification for key clinical events
   Physical Examination
   Height	F07	All, baseline, prospective	Every 12 months
   Weight			Every 6 months
   Blood pressure (BP)			Every 6 months	Via Dynamap, per WIHS protocol
   Breast exam			Every 12 months
   Abdominal exam		All, baseline	Once
   Body habitus measurements		All, baseline, prospective	Every 6 months	Central training and proficiency certification required
   Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)			Every 6 months	Via WIHS protocol
   Neuropathy signs & symptoms	NP01/NP02	Even visits	Every 12 months
   Gynecological Examination
   External exam	F08	All, baseline	Every 6 months
   Vaginal exam		All, baseline, prospective	Every 6 months
   Cervical exam			Every 6 months
   Adnexal exam			Every 12 months
   Rectal exam		All, baseline	Prospective per indication
   Colposcopy		Mandatory by cytological, history and exam indication
   Neurocognitive Protocol
   Standard Trail Making Task/Symbol Digit Modalities Task (STMT/SDMT)	NC01a	All, prospective	Every 24 months
   Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT-3)	NC02a	All, baseline	Once
   Spanish Word Accentuation Test	NC02b	Spanish speakers, baseline	Once
   Educational experience	NC03	All, baseline	Once
   Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR) TM	NC04	All, baseline	Once
   Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R)	NC06	All, prospective	Every 24 months
   Stroop Task	NC07	All, prospective	Every 24 months
   Verbal fluency	NC08	All, prospective	Every 24 months
   Letter-Number Span Task (LNS)	NC09	All, prospective	Every 24 months
   Grooved pegboard	NC10	All, prospective	Every 24 months
   Post Traumatic Stress	PTSD	All, prospective	Every 24 months
   Menopause symptoms	BLSA	All, prospective	Every 24 months
   Urine Specimens
   Urine for storage	L20	All, prospective	Every 12 months
   Pregnancy test	L12	Per indication	Every 6 months
   Urinalysis	L10	All, baseline	Once
   Genital Tract Specimens
   Wet prep	F08	All, prospective	Every 6 months
   Pap smear	C60			Submitted to central cytology, University of Alabama
   Gonorrhea	L09/L13	All, baseline	Once
   Chlamydia	L09/L13	All, baseline	Once
   Bacterial vaginosis (BV) slide	F31r/C45	All, prospective	Every 6 months	For future central reading
   HPV DNA swab	L20
   Cervicovaginal lavage (CVL)	L20
   Endocervical curettage (ECC)	L14/L16	Each colposcopy	As indicated
   Cervical biospy	L15	Colposcopic lesions	As indicated
   Cancer specimen central repository		Colposcopic lesion and normal tissue		Flash frozen
   Hair Collection for PK
   20 scalp hairs	F31r	HIV positive	Every 6 months	Cut, not pulled; stored locally at room temperature
   Whole blood specimens
   HIV-1 Ab	L01	Positive result	Once
   HIV-1 Ab	L01	Negative result	Every 6 months
   Liver/renal panel	L05	All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months
   Hep C Ab & RNA on positives	L02	All, baseline	Once	For future central testing
   Hep B panel	L02	All, baseline	Once
   RPR	L06	All, baseline	Once
   CBC	L03	All baseline	Every 6 months	Needed for APRI score
   T cells	L04	HIV positive	Every 6 months	Must measure WIHS-specified markers via DAIDS IQA program certified lab
   T cells	L04	HIV negative, baseline	Once
   HIV-1 RNA	C54	HIV positive	Every 6 months	Must use WIHS-specified assay tested at DAIDS VQA program certified lab
   Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH)		All, baseline	Every 24 months	For central testing – measured every 24 months until below threshold (<0.09 nanogram/ml), then once more to determine year of loss
   C-reactive protein (CRP)		All at baseline	Once (on stored samples)
   Cells for WIHS Genome-wide association study (GWAS)		All at baseline	Once (on stored samples)
   Lipid panel/insulin		All, baseline, ongoing	Every 12 months	Central testing at Quest Diagnostics
   Hg A1c
   Glucose
   Serum	L20	All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months	Central WIHS Repository
   Plasma	L20
   Viable cells	L20
   Cell pellets	L20
   Cancer Pathology
   Tissue samples from participant cancer excision/biopsy		All as it occurs	Continuous	Ten (10) cuts from treating institution, costs may be incurred for cuts of blocks
   Registry Matches
   National Death Index (NDI)		Ongoing	Every 12 months
   Cancer		Ongoing	Every 24 months
   Tuberculosis		As needed
   End stage renal disease (ESRD)		As needed
   In Development for WIHS-V
   Pain assessment		All, baseline, ongoing	Every 6 months	Chronic pain, and its treatment is a major concern of the WIHS National Community Advisory Board, the Neurocognitive WG, and numerous WIHS affiliated clinicians. Neuropathy measures are in current use, and pain medication data are collected, but more data needed - priority area for further study development.
   HAND dx algorithm			Every 12 or 24 months	Medical record abstraction (MRA) may be needed.
   Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI)		HIV negatives (all) HIV positives (new)	Once	CIDI administered to HIV+ women only to date and supported by independent R01 award (J. Cook). WIHS-V may require reduction in modules and/or target lifetime events only.

4. How do WIHS CRSs support the WIHS National Community Advisory Board (NCAB) and local CABs?

   Each local WIHS CAB conducts regular events for outreach to study participants, engages in recruitment efforts, and makes recommendations concerning proposed study changes. In addition, each WIHS CRS nominates one to three local CAB representatives to serve on the WIHS NCAB. Support from grantee institutions includes expenses for the designed NCAB members to present and/or participate in one annual national conference of interest to community advisors and advocates for HIV-related research (e.g., U.S. conference on AIDS, International AIDS Society). Information made available on the public WIHS website for the WIHS NCAB is aimed at keeping participants informed about HIV-related health and research developments, as well as sharing local CAB newsletters.

5. The WIHS-V budget and project periods will begin in FY13, but does the recent decrease in the salary cap for grants, cooperative agreements, grants, and contracts affect WIHS-V applications?

   The NIH recently revised the salary limit for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts (see NIH Notice of Salary Limitation on Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Contracts). Because WIHS-V applications are due before the FY13 start dates for all WIHV-V awards, and it is not known if the salary limit will change for FY13, the FY12 Executive II Salary Limit should be used in Year 1 of all WIHS-V CRS applications. Institutional base salaries can be used for Years 2-5, however, appropriate adjustments will be made by NIAID based on salary limits in place at that time.

6. Should I budget to anticipate a new CRS will initiate and complete enrollment and baseline visits within one year of the award?

   The goal of each CRS should be to complete recruitment and baseline visits as quickly as possible. Given the logistics of integrating a new CRS into the WIHS Consortium (and based on the history of prior WIHS enrollment waves), it is reasonable to budget one and a half years to complete enrollment and baseline evaluations.

7. Is the WIHS data management system (DMS) web-based at the point of the study visit?

   The current WIHS DMS is a web-based system but not web-based at the point of the visit. The web system mirrors the data collection forms to simplify data entry. Specific details about the current WIHS DMS are contained within Section 11 of the WIHS Manual of Operations (PDF), available on the Public WIHS Website.

8. My on-site or subcontract laboratory that I wish to propose for processing WIHS specimens is currently not participating in the DAIDS Immunology and/or Virology Quality Assurance Programs. How can I budget for this in my application, and is certification required before review of my application?

   Successful applicants using laboratories that are not currently enrolled will be required to participate in the DAIDS IQA and VQA programs as a WIHS CRS. Because access to these programs is initiated by DAIDS and limited to sites performing DAIDS-funded research, certification for successful applicants will be addressed prior to final funding determinations. The specific details on these programs can be found on the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) Clinical Research Policies and Standard Procedures Documents Website.

NIAID conducts and supports research—at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide—to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/.

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