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 September 7, 2011 - (BRONX, NY) - In 2004, the global
community acted in earnest to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. As a result, millions of Africans are now receiving the same
advanced antiretroviral therapy (ART) that has long been available in the developed world. While research shows that AIDS death
rates in Africa have stabilized, little is known about the actual deployment and circumstances of treatment.
A consortium led by Albert Einstein College of Medicine
of Yeshiva University has received a $4 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of
the National Institutes of Health, to spearhead the Central Africa International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate
AIDS (CA-IeDEA). CA-IeDEA researchers will work directly with the governments of Burundi and Cameroon, as well as
with non-governmental organizations in Rwanda, to collect and analyze the data of nearly 40,000 patients on ART.
The International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) is a research
consortium established in 2005 to address the unique and evolving questions in global HIV/AIDS research through regional and
intra-regional observational data. Kathryn Anastos, M.D., co-director of Einstein's Global Health Center and
co-principal investigator of the grant, and her team will be among the global team analyzing and publishing on the data produced.
One of only seven IeDEA centers around the world, CA-IeDEA will create a robust and flexible database that will enable
researchers to examine the real-world practice and results of ART - including its impact on reducing cancer and
interactions of HIV with other major, deadly diseases that afflict the region, such as malaria.
"Central Africa is a unique region that presents its own set of challenges for effective HIV/AIDS treatment
and positive patient outcomes," said Dr. Anastos. "By working with government health leaders in Burundi and Cameroon, our teams hope to
contribute to the global understanding of HIV/AIDS treatment, while also helping to improve the care - and lives - of their residents."
Donald Hoover, Ph.D., of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is co-principal investigator of the grant and will lead and monitor
activities pertaining to data development and analysis. Dominic Duggan, Ph.D., of Stevens Institute of Technology, is designing the
IT component.
In clinics around Central Africa, the team will deploy and extend OpenMRS , an open-source
electronic medical record system that is the focus of a vibrant open-source community. Implementing the system will
offer researchers an efficient means to collect consistent data, as well as provide participating clinics in each
country with a relatively low-cost healthcare IT solution that the governments may choose to expand as a national initiative.
Dr. Anastos will be responsible for the overall administration and leadership of CA-IeDEA, including developing the research team within
each country, building capacity and stimulating epidemiologic brainstorming. As a professor
of medicine and
of epidemiology & population
health at Einstein, she will continue to oversee and lead a range of HIV/AIDS research projects in Rwanda and the Bronx.
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About Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Albert Einstein College of
Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical
investigation. During the 2009-2010 academic year, Einstein is home to 722 M.D. students,
243 Ph.D. students, 128 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program , and
approximately 350 postdoctoral research fellows . The College of Medicine has 2,775 fulltime faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates . In 2009, Einstein received more than $155 million in support from the NIH. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in diabetes, cancer, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Through its extensive affiliation network involving five medical centers in the Bronx, Manhattan and Long Island - which includes Montefiore Medical Center , The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for Einstein - the College of Medicine runs one of the largest post-graduate medical training
programs in the United States, offering approximately 150 residency programs to more than 2,500 physicians in training. For more
information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu
CONTACT:
Kim Newman
sciencenews@einstein.yu.edu
718-430-3101
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Source: EurekAlert!
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/aeco-etu090811.php
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