Midcareer Mentoring Award for Patient-Oriented Research in HIV and Cognition

-
Investigator: Victor Valcour, MD, PhD
Sponsor: NIH National Institute of Mental Health

Location(s): United States

Description

The work proposed in this application will train the next generation of clinician researchers in geriatric and cognitive science as it relates to HIV. This s critically important as the population of HIV+ patients in the US ages so that optimal health outcomes can be achieved.

 HIV+ patients are aging, due in large part to the successes of combination antiretroviral medications. Despite these accomplishments, over 50% of community dwelling HIV+ patients have cognitive impairment, a frequency that increases with age. The candidate of this application has developed a robust clinical research environment to address brain vulnerability in the setting of HIV. His training in internal medicine, geriatric medicine and neurobehavior allow him to link disciplines and inform the cognitive consequences of aging with HIV. The work proposed in this application will enhance and stabilize his career development to focus more directly on training the next generation of high quality patient-oriented researchers. The proposed science will focus on the functional consequence of cognitive impairment in HIV over age 60 and the co-existence of geriatric syndromes. Unique features of the mentoring plan include access to networks of patients, a passion for training early-stage investigators, and the multi-disciplinary training of the candidate.