Fixing linked errors in HIV patient records to improve research
Official title: Statistical methods and designs for correlated outcome and covariate errors in studies of HIV/AIDS
Funded at Vanderbilt University Medical Center · NIH-11469942 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project develops new ways to combine routine medical records with verified samples to make research about people living with HIV more accurate.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project start | January 25, 2018 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $12,371 |
| NIH project number | 3R37AI131771-09S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11469942 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People living with HIV whose medical records are stored in electronic health record systems or participating databases (such as IeDEA) are the records this work uses and could benefit indirectly.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without electronic health records in the studied datasets or those seeking immediate changes to their own medical treatment are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this methodological research.
What this research studies
Many electronic health records and routinely collected data used in HIV research contain mistakes across multiple linked variables, which can skew results. The team creates statistical methods and multi-wave sampling designs that pair the full, imperfect records with smaller gold-standard validated samples to correct bias and tighten estimates. They apply these methods to existing HIV observational datasets, including International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA), using retrospective patient records. The goal is to give researchers clearer answers about HIV outcomes and related conditions like liver fibrosis so future findings are more reliable.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make HIV research findings more trustworthy and lead to better-informed care and guidelines for people with HIV.
How similar studies have gone: The investigators previously applied related record-validation methods with promising results in HIV datasets, and this project extends those approaches to handle correlated errors across variables.
Where this research is happening
-
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shepherd, Bryan Earl — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Shepherd, Bryan Earl
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.