Medicaid Epidemiologic Investigations

​Non-AIDS defining cancers (NADCs) are projected to account for 89% of all cancers among people living with HIV (PLWH) by 2030, with the vast majority diagnosed among older PLWH. This shift is concerning because, as compared to people without HIV, PLWH reportedly have higher cancer-specific mortality for several NADCs, and higher overall mortality after diagnosis of the most common NADCs. The goal of the cancer project is to inform the development of effective non-AIDS defining cancer prevention and treatment for an aging population of people living with HIV (PLWH) and to help disentangle the influence of HIV from the socio-behavioral factors associated HIV acquisition. 

​The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the lives of people worldwide. Yet, the effect on PLWH is not known. Emerging evidence suggests that PLWH have a similar or modestly higher risk of COVID-19 acquisition, and higher risk for worse COVID-19 outcomes, including hospitalization and death. As the pandemic continues to unfold, it is critical to better characterize the relationship between COVID-19 and outcomes among PLWH and to understand how the pandemic and public health strategies impacted the provision of care for PLWH. The goal of the COVID-19 project is to assess the relationship between HIV and COVID-19 disease and to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on the provision of prevention of HIV and HIV care.