Aging and Comorbidities SWG

AGING & COMORBIDITIES SCIENTIFIC WORKING GROUP (SWG 2) PROJECT SUMMARY People with HIV (PWH) are living longer because of increased access to effective antiretroviral therapy and as a result about half of PWH in the United States are now >50 years old. Aging PWH experience an increased risk of medical comorbidities, adverse psychosocial outcomes and geriatric syndromes which can impact independence and quality of life. Because of these challenges, it is important to improve our understanding of how best to optimize the health of aging PWH. To advance the research agenda in this field, the DC CFAR recently heightened our scientific focus on this critical area by upgrading the developmental Aging and Comorbidities Scientific Interest Group that was established in late 2021 to a Scientific Working Group (SWG) which is an important component of the present DC CFAR renewal application. The overarching goal of the Aging and Comorbidities SWG is to promote and support research on HIV, aging and comorbidities in Washington, DC. The Specific Aims of the SWG are to 1) promote and support multi- disciplinary research to address high priority HIV comorbidities; 2) lead the NeuroHIV work group to characterize mechanisms and interventions for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) and neurocognitive decline; and 3) develop a robust scientific agenda for healthy aging with HIV throughout the life course. The SWG will be led by a multi-institutional team of three NIH-funded academic co-leads with complementary scientific strengths: Dr. Italo Mocchetti, a neuroscientist from Georgetown University, Dr. Nicole Angotti, a sociologist from American University, and Dr. Anne Monroe, an HIV clinician and epidemiologist from George Washington University. They will work closely with two expert community co-leads who will ensure that the perspectives of PWH are included in decision-making about the strategic directions and activities of the SWG: Mr. Moisés Agosto-Rosario, Director of Treatment at NMAC and Mr. Wallace Corbett, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Washington Regional HIV Health Services Planning Council.