# Developing a Risk Index for Functional Decline in Middle-Aged and Older Adults with HIV

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2023 · $40,287

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
As people with HIV (PWH) enter older adulthood, there is a growing public health need to preserve everyday
functioning in aging PWH. PWH disproportionately experience adverse factors including neurocognitive
impairment (NCI) and psychiatric (e.g., depression) and medical (e.g., diabetes) comorbidities relative to age-
comparable peers without HIV. Together, these factors put older PWH at risk for everyday functioning decline.
Despite this, there are few studies on the longer-term patterns and correlates of everyday functioning change
in PWH, and there is no well-validated multivariable risk index informed by such longitudinal data. Therefore,
the research aims of this F31 will delineate unique longitudinal trajectories of everyday functioning in PWH;
and develop and initially validate a risk index of adverse and protective factors based on longitudinal modeling
to identify PWH at risk for functional decline. This project will be conducted with support from an
interdisciplinary mentorship team at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) HIV Neurobehavioral
Research Program (HNRP), a leading research center with experts in HIV and aging. The proposed F31 will
leverage access to two archival longitudinal studies: CNS HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Effects Research
(CHARTER; N = 704) and Multi-Dimensional Successful Aging Among HIV-Infected Adults (N = 106), that
were conducted and/or coordinated at the HNRP. Accordingly, the specific aims are to: 1) identify unique
everyday functioning trajectories in a development dataset (CHARTER); 2a) develop a prediction model using
adverse predictors for functional decline in the development dataset; 2b) validate the model in the
development (CHARTER) and validation (Successful Aging) datasets; and 3) determine if positive
psychological factors add incremental value to predicting functional decline. The training plan proposes
rigorous statistical training in developing advanced longitudinal predictive models of everyday functioning,
combined with specific mentoring in the understanding and uses of biopsychosocial variables relevant to aging
PWH as potential predictors. This F31 application is in line with the National Institute of Aging’s (NIA) mission
to support and conduct biological, clinical, behavioral, and social research on aging; in addition to their mission
to foster the development of research and clinician scientists in aging. It is also in line with an NIH Office of
AIDS Research (OAR) priority for well-validated, multivariable indices that combine a range of biological to
behavioral measures to predict which PWH are at high-risk for adverse outcomes. The opportunities afforded
via this F31 mechanism will facilitate the applicant’s professional development toward becoming an
independent academic neuropsychologist dedicated to promoting successful aging among older PWH.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10762280
- **Project number:** 1F31AG084417-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Lillian Ham
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $40,287
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-09-30 → 2026-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10762280

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10762280, Developing a Risk Index for Functional Decline in Middle-Aged and Older Adults with HIV (1F31AG084417-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10762280. Licensed CC0.

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