# ERC Einstein Rockefeller CUNY Center for AIDS Research

> **NIH NIH P30** · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2022 · $41,602

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY 
ERC-CFAR: HIV AND MENTAL HEALTH SCIENTIFIC WORKING GROUP 
The newly formed HIV and Mental Health Scientific Working Group (SWG) aims to facilitate multi-disciplinary 
investigations in the field of HIV and mental health comorbidity, a major public health concern, contributing to 
increased HIV transmission, and an undeveloped area of research in our ERC-CFAR. While dramatic survival 
gains have been achieved for people with HIV (PWH) with the widespread use of potent antiretroviral therapy 
(ART), high comorbidity with mental health conditions such as depression has posed a major barrier to achieving 
the 90-90-90 goal and “bending the curve.” National data estimate that comorbid mental health conditions impact 
the majority of PWH, leading to increased HIV transmission risk, reduced retention in care, and poorer HIV 
outcomes. Alarmingly, by 2030, the top two leading causes of disease burden globally are projected to be HIV 
and depressive disorders. Despite these data, there has been sparse research into the mechanisms underlying 
this comorbidity. This SWG addresses this major gap in HIV research with the overall mission of seeding and 
catalyzing research that impacts mental health in PWH to reduce HIV transmission and acquisition, and to 
improve retention in care and overall outcomes. Toward this goal, this SWG brings together with community 
members >30 non-HIV and HIV researchers with diverse expertise in immunology, neuroimaging, neurology, 
cognitive neuroscience, epidemiology, health disparities, and addiction, recruited from multiple New York City 
academic institutions. Specific Aims: 1) To bring together outstanding HIV and non-HIV investigators from 
multidisciplinary research areas and multiple NYC Institutions to foster collaborations in the field of mental health 
in PWH, focusing on psychiatric neuroimaging, neuroinflammation, and implementation science. 2) To generate 
new interdisciplinary collaborations among established investigators (EI) and Early Stage Investigators (ESI) 
who work on HIV research but have not previously collaborated, as well as with investigators who are new to 
HIV research. 3) To identify and seek funding for research projects developed through collaborations and ideas 
formed in the SWG to increase our understanding of the underlying mechanisms contributing to the high burden 
of mental health conditions among PWH, including depression, anxiety, cognition, and pain. Comorbid mental 
health conditions in PWH are a major public health concern and an obstacle to stopping the HIV epidemic partly 
due to increased transmission risk and decreased retention in care. To date, this topic has attracted limited 
research. This SWG aims to fill this research gap and facilitate research into the mechanisms underlying this 
comorbidity and how best to treat it. Such research is essential for ending the HIV epidemic.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10458265
- **Project number:** 2P30AI124414-07
- **Recipient organization:** ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Vilma Gabbay
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $41,602
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2017-05-01 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10458265

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10458265, ERC Einstein Rockefeller CUNY Center for AIDS Research (2P30AI124414-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10458265. Licensed CC0.

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