Understanding HIV risk for women in the United States
American Women: Assessing Risk Epidemiologically (AWARE - RFA)
Using digital tools and public data, researchers aim to find patterns that show which U.S. women are more likely to get HIV so prevention can be targeted better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11402524 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would share health information, relationship and network details, and allow connection to open public data about communities and locations. The team will combine cohort data, social and sexual network information, and big public datasets to build a knowledgebase that puts risk in context. Digital methods and algorithms will look for combinations of personal, community, and geospatial factors linked to new HIV infections among women. The findings are meant to guide better, more tailored prevention approaches like who might benefit from PrEP or targeted outreach.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Women in the United States, especially those who are sexually active or worried about HIV exposure and who are willing to share health and social network information, would be the ideal participants.
Not a fit: People already living with HIV, those unable or unwilling to share the required personal or network data, or people living outside the U.S. may not receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify women at higher risk earlier so prevention efforts and services can reach them and potentially reduce new HIV infections.
How similar studies have performed: Previous risk-algorithm approaches for women have shown poor predictive power, so combining network and big public data is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Columbia University Health Sciences — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schnall, Rebecca — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Schnall, Rebecca
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 below.