The Women's Interagency HIV Study

The Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) is a multisite, prospective, cohort study begun in August 1993. The purpose of the study is to investigate factors associated with HIV disease progression in women. The National Institute ofAllergy and Infectious Diseases is funding this study, along with the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.  Study sites are located in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and the District of Columbia. The study is coordinated by the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Statistics.  Please visit the official Web site of the WIHS for general information about the study.

Working with researchers at other WIHS study sites, investigators at the MHSRP have been involved in several lines of investigation. One set of studies examined penetration into the cohort of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and the factors associated with women’s HAART utilization. Another line of research examined associations between depression, HIV disease progression, and AIDS-related mortality. A third set of articles examined women’s satisfaction with their medical care and its influence on HAART use. A fourth set of analyses examined child custody arrangements of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Another line of research is exploring the impact of alcohol and drug abuse on women’s medical outcomes.

Related Activities and Products

Publications

You can order the following papers from our Publications page.

• Burke, J., Cook, J.A., Cohen, M.H., Wilson, T., Anastos, K., Young, M., Palacio, H., Richardson, J., & Gange, S. (2003). Dissatisfaction with Medical Care Among Women with HIV: Dimensions and Associated Factors, AIDS Care, 15(4), 451-462.
• Burke-Miller, J., Cook, J.A., Cohen, M.H. et al., (in press). The Longitudinal Relationship Between Use of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy and Satisfaction with Care Among Women Living with HIV/AIDS. American Journal of Public Health.
• Cohen, M.H., Cook, J.A., Grey, D.D., Young, M., Hanau, L.H., Tien, P., Levine, A.M., & Wilson, T.E. (2004). Medically Eligible Women Who Do Not Use HAART: The Importance of Abuse, Drug Use, and Race, American Journal of Public Health, 94(7), 1147-1151.
• Cook, J.A., Boxer, A.M., Burke, J., Cohen, M.H., Weber, K., Shekarloo, P., Lubin, H., & Mock, L.O. (2004). Child Care Arrangements of Children Orphaned by HIV/AIDS: The Importance of Grandparents as Kinship Caregivers, Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services, 2(2), 5-20.
• Cook, J.A., Cohen, M.H., Burke, J.K., Grey, D.D., Anastos, K., Kirstein, L., Palacio, H., Richardson, J., Wilson, T., & Young, M. (2002). Effects of Depressive Symptoms and Mental Health Quality of Life on Use of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Among HIV-Seropositive Women, Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 30(4), 401-409.
• Cook, J.A., Cohen, M.H., Grey, D.D., Kirstein, L., Burke, J.K., Anastos, K., Palacio, H., Richardson, J., Wilson, T., & Young, M. (2002). Penetration and Predictors of Use of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in a Cohort of HIV-Seropositive Women, American Journal of Public Health, 92(1), 82-87.
• Cook, J.A., Grey, D.D., Burke, J.K., Cohen, M.H., Gurtman, A.C., Richardson, J.L., Wilson, T.E., Young, M.A., & Hessol, N.A. (2004). Depressive Symptoms and AIDS-Related Mortality Among a Multisite Cohort of HIV-Positive Women, American Journal of Public Health, 94(7), 1133-1140.
• Cook, J.A., Grey, D.D., Burke-Miller, J., Cohen, M.H., Anastos, K., Gandhi, M., Richardson, J., Wilson, T. & Young, M. (2006). Effects of Treated and Untreated Depressive Symptoms on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Use in a U.S. Multi-Site Cohort of HIV-Positive Women. AIDS Care. 18(2), 93-100.
• Kapadia F, Cook JA, Cohen MH, Sohler N, Kovacs A, Greenblatt RM, Choudhary I, Vlahov D. (2005). The relationship between non-injection drug use behaviors on progression to AIDS and death in a cohort of HIV seropositive women in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy use. Addiction. 100(7), 990-1002.
• Latka, M., Wilson, T., Cook, J., et al. (in press). Impact of Drug Treatment on Subsequent Sexual Risk Behavior in a Multi-Site Cohort of Drug-Using Women. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

Presentations

Handouts from the following WIHS-related presentations are available.* 

• Jane Burke, M.S., Judith A. Cook, Ph.D., & the WIHS Collaborative Workgroup (July, 2000). The validity and reliability of an established patient satisfaction measure: does it work for low-income, minority women with HIV? Presented at XIII International AIDS Conference, Durban, South Africa .[PDF, 36K].
• Judith A. Cook, Jane Burke, Dennis Grey, & Mardge Cohen (November, 2002). Longitudinal Relationship of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency, and HIV Care to Disease Progression in a Cohort of Women with HIV. Presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meetings, Philadelphia, PA., 2002.
• Judith A. Cook, Ph.D., Dennis Grey, B.A., Jane Burke, M.S., & Mardge Cohen, M.D. (July, 2002). Longitudinal Relationship Between Depression and CD4 Cell Count Decline in a Cohort of HIV Seropositive Women. Presented at the XIV International AIDS Conference, Barcelona, Spain.
• Judith A. Cook, Ph.D. (January, 2003). The Social Construction of Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Regimens: Understanding Patient and Provider Realities. Presented at Interdisciplinary Theoretical Perspectives on HIV Adherence: Translating Knowledge into Practice, Mt Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY.
• Judith A. Cook, Ph.D. (March, 2003). Racial Disparities Among Women on HIV/AIDS Antiretroviral and Related Therapies: Multi-Site Cohort Findings. Presented at Eliminating Health Disparities through the EXCEED/RCMAR Initiative for South Carolina, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
• Dennis Grey, B.A., Judith A. Cook, Ph.D., Jane Burke, M.S., Mardge Cohen, M.D. & Kit Simpson, Ph.D. (July 2004). Impact of HAART Use on Medical Treatment Costs in a U.S. Multisite Cohort of HIV+ Women. Presented at the XV International AIDS Conference, Bangkok, Thailand.
• Eileen Martin, Ph.D., Mardge Cohen, M.D, Judith A. Cook, et al., (July, 1998).  Neurocognitive Function Predicts Employment Status in HIV-Seropositive Women: The Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) Chicago Consortium.  Presented at the XII International AIDS Conference, Geneva, Switzerland.

* To obtain presentation handout copies or to request other information on this project, please e-mail Jane Burke, M.S. or phone her at (312) 355.1696 x15. Duplication/Shipping costs may be assessed.

Project Staff

Mardge Cohen, M.D. , Principal Investigator (Cook County Hospital)

Judith A. Cook, Ph.D., Investigator

Jane Burke, M.S. , Investigator

Dennis Grey, B.A. , Data Analyst