# A population-based online study of the transition of young adults with perinatal HIV infection to adult clinical care

> **NIH NIH R01** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · 2020 · $359,920

## Abstract

Abstract:
Advances in antiretroviral therapy have led to dramatic increases in survival of perinatally HIV-
infected children into adulthood. The transition to adult HIV care, however, is replete with
challenges due to the increased responsibility placed on adolescents as they enter adulthood,
as well as other complex, potentially HIV-related concerns such as cognitive deﬁcits,
depression, and stigma. Guidelines to support clinics in developing formal transition plans have
been published. Nonetheless, approaches to transition vary widely across the US.
Understanding the factors that impact the ability to move to adult care is critical to supporting
HIV-infected youth as they transition and, hence, retaining them in care. To accomplish this, and
to maintain their interest in long-term research, we must consider research methods that
accommodate the lifestyles of young adults while maintaining valid data collection. Few
empirical studies have systematically assessed the efficacy of current HIV healthcare transition
practices, especially with regards to clinically important outcomes. Existing literature is largely
qualitative, providing insights into the barriers and concerns that patients, caregivers and
providers perceive as salient. This study will expand upon this research to explore the barriers
and facilitators that directly affect objective clinical outcomes so as to determine which practices
are effective and should be disseminated more widely. Specifically, we will determine whether
individual level–factors such as age at transition, ability to manage health care, and participant
involvement in transition decisions, and clinic-level structures and practices, including co-
located psychological support services, written transition plans, adult care delivery models, and
early presence of a transition liaison/case manager are associated with long-term retention in
adult health care and viral load suppression post-transition. Subject recruitment through
surveillance data and web-based data collection strategies will be evaluated to determine the
feasibility of these methods as an alternative to time- and resource-intensive clinic-based
research studies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9931248
- **Project number:** 5R01HD089853-05
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Katherine K. Tassiopoulos
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $359,920
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-04 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9931248

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9931248, A population-based online study of the transition of young adults with perinatal HIV infection to adult clinical care (5R01HD089853-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9931248. Licensed CC0.

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