Baseline Characteristics of the 2015-2019 First Year Student Cohorts of the NIH Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Program.

Objective: The biomedical/behavioral sciences lag in the recruitment and advancement of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. In 2014 the NIH created the Diversity Program Consortium (DPC), a prospective, multi-site study comprising 10 Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) institutional grantees, the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) and a Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC). This article describes baseline characteristics of four incoming, first-year student cohorts at the primary BUILD institutions who completed the Higher Education Research Institute, The Freshmen Survey between 2015-2019.

Methamphetamine use drives decreases in viral suppression for people living with HIV released from a large municipal jail: Results of the LINK LA clinical trial.

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) often experience decreases in HIV viral suppression (VS) after release from jail. The Linking Inmates to Care in LA (LINK LA) peer navigation intervention helped maintain VS 12 months after release from jail compared to standard of care. In this study, we analyzed correlates of substance use and tested whether substance use was an independent correlate of decreased VS in LINK LA participants.

Effectiveness of a Peer Navigation Intervention to Sustain Viral Suppression Among HIV-Positive Men and Transgender Women Released From Jail: The LINK LA Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, linkage and retention in care, and adherence to antiretroviral therapy are steps in the care continuum enabling consistent viral suppression for people living with HIV, extending longevity and preventing further transmission. While incarcerated, people living with HIV receive antiretroviral therapy and achieve viral suppression more consistently than after they are released. No interventions have shown sustained viral suppression after jail release.

A participatory approach to evaluating a national training and institutional change initiative: the BUILD longitudinal evaluation.

Background And Purpose: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds training programs to increase the numbers and skills of scientists who obtain NIH research grants, but few programs have been rigorously evaluated. The sizeable recent NIH investment in developing programs to increase the diversity of the NIH-funded workforce, implemented through the Diversity Program Consortium (DPC), is unusual in that it also funds a Consortium-wide evaluation plan, which spans the activities of the 10 BUilding Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) awardees and the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN). The purpose of this article is to describe the evaluation design and innovations of the BUILD Program on students, faculty, and institutions of the 10 primarily undergraduate BUILD sites.

Effects of a Laboratory Health Information Exchange Intervention on Antiretroviral Therapy Use, Viral Suppression, and Racial/Ethnic Disparities.

Background: Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) is available to treat HIV+ persons and prevent transmission, ineffective delivery of care may delay ART use, impede viral suppression (VS), and contribute to racial/ethnic disparities along the continuum of care. This study tested the effects of a bi-directional laboratory health information exchange (LHIE) intervention on each of these outcomes.

Methods: We used a quasi-experimental, interrupted time-series design to examine whether the LHIE intervention improved ART use and VS, and reduced racial/ethnic disparities in these outcomes among HIV+ patients (N = 1181) in a comprehensive HIV/AIDS clinic in Southern California.

Collaboration in Action: Measuring and Improving Contracting Performance in the University of California Contracting Network.

In 2013, the University of California, Biomedical Research, Acceleration, Integration, and Development (UC BRAID) convened a regional network of contracting directors from the five University of California (UC) health campuses to: (i) increase collaboration, (ii) operationalize and measure common metrics as a basis for performance improvement efforts, and (iii) identify and implement best practices to maintain a competitive edge in the field of biomedical research. This article summarizes an 18-month examination of performance metrics across the five campuses, including methods for data collection and harmonization agreed upon by the UC contracting offices. Some of the most striking, and previously unmeasured, results demonstrate that master agreements are a highly effective and successful strategy for significantly shortening the average time to completion of contract terms.

Assessing Researcher Needs for a Virtual Biobank.

Introduction: Biosamples and associated clinical data accelerate translational and clinical research discoveries. A lack of high quality biosamples both stalls projects and limits research advances. In this study, we targeted a wide audience of University of California (UC) biobanking stakeholders who were either involved with the collection or the utilization of biosamples to assess the scope of their biobanking activities and their interest in virtual biobanking or cooperating in the formation of the UC-wide biorepository.

HIV testing among clients in high HIV prevalence venues: disparities between older and younger adults.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends routine human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing of every client presenting for services in venues where HIV prevalence is high. Because older adults (aged ≥50 years) have particularly poor prognosis if they receive their diagnosis late in the course of HIV disease, any screening provided to younger adults in these venues should also be provided to older adults. We examined aging-related disparities in recent (past 12 months) and ever HIV testing in a probability sample of at-risk adults (N = 1238) seeking services in needle exchange sites, sexually transmitted disease clinics, and Latino community clinics that provide HIV testing.

NIH Career Development Awards in Clinical and Translational Science Award institutions: distinguishing characteristics of top performing sites.

Purpose: To identify and disseminate the organizational characteristics of "top performing" National Institute of Health (NIH) Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) institutions in regards to career development, using the number of new K awards received per year to rank institutions and comparing these with non-CTSA institutions.

Methods: The authors analyzed the organizational characteristics of all 61 CTSA institutions from 2006 to 2013 using the American Association of Medical Colleges Organizational Characteristics Database and K Award funding details using NIH RePORT.

Results: Five of the "top 10 performing" institutions are in the western region, and six out of the ten are public schools.

Endorsement of compulsory HIV vaccination policy among populations at high risk of HIV exposure (LA VOICES).

Compulsory vaccination is a frequently implemented policy option for ensuring comprehensive vaccine coverage. Ongoing controversies around human papillomavirus vaccine dissemination, and suboptimal coverage, suggest the value of assessing acceptability of compulsory vaccinations-particularly among likely target populations-in advance of their public availability to support evidence-informed interventions. With the first HIV vaccine to demonstrate partial efficacy in a large-scale clinical trial, we examined individual characteristics and attitudes associated with support for compulsory HIV vaccination policy among a diverse, representative sample of adults attending probable HIV vaccine dissemination venues in a large urban county.

Neighborhood socio-economic disadvantage and race/ethnicity as predictors of breast cancer stage at diagnosis.

Background: This study investigated the role of key individual- and community-level determinants to explore persisting racial/ethnic disparities in breast cancer stage at diagnosis in California during 1990 and 2000.

Methods: We examined socio-demographic determinants and changes in breast cancer stage at diagnosis in California during 1990 and 2000. In situ, local, regional, and distant diagnoses were examined by individual (age, race/ethnicity, and marital status) and community (income and education by zip code) characteristics.

Effects of laboratory data exchange in the care of patients with HIV.

Background: Electronic health record (EHR) systems are often modified through the addition of new features over time. Few studies have examined the specific effects of such changes. We examined whether implementation of a bidirectional laboratory interface for order entry and data reporting within an existing ambulatory EHR would result in more prompt responses to laboratory indications for antiretroviral therapy (ART) changes or in improved communication with HIV+ patients about relevant laboratory results.

Altruism in dental students.

Altruistic dentists play a central role in treating minority populations, the poor, the uninsured, and those living in underserved communities. This study examines factors associated with graduating dental students' altruistic attitudes. We use a nationally representative dataset, the 2007 American Dental Education Association Survey of Dental School Seniors (n=3,841), and a comprehensive framework to investigate individual, school, and community characteristics that may influence altruism.

Comparison of extramural clinical rotation days: did the Pipeline program make a difference?

Extramural clinical rotations are implemented by dental schools for a combination of clinical and didactic or behavioral goals. In the United States, the Pipeline, Profession, and Practice: Community-Based Dental Education program was launched to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who are recruited and retained in dental education, to expand the dental curriculum in cultural competence, and to incorporate community-based extramural rotations into the dental schools' clinical curriculum. The objective of this study was to conduct an impact analysis regarding the change in number of extramural clinical rotation weeks for Pipeline and non-Pipeline program students over the time period of 2003 to 2007.

Who will serve? Assessing recruitment of underrepresented minority and low-income dental students to increase access to dental care.

This article uses data from the 2007 American Dental Education Association survey of dental school seniors to assess their intentions to serve underserved populations according to the students' underrepresented minority (URM) and income status. Dental school recruitment and retention programs that concentrate exclusively on URM students will not benefit most low-income students since 83 percent of them are not URM. Recruiting URM students leads to more graduating students with intentions to serve minorities.

Preventive HIV vaccine acceptability and behavioral risk compensation among a random sample of high-risk adults in Los Angeles (LA VOICES).

Objective: To assess HIV vaccine acceptability among high-risk adults in Los Angeles.

Study Setting: Sexually transmitted disease clinics, needle/syringe exchange programs, Latino community health/HIV prevention programs.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey using conjoint analysis.

Associations of eye diseases and symptoms with self-reported physical and mental health.

Purpose: To study the associations of eye diseases and visual symptoms with the most widely used health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) generic profile measure.

Design: HRQOL was assessed using the short form-36 (SF-36) version 1 survey administered to a sample of patients receiving care provided by a physician group practice association.

Methods: Eye diseases, ocular symptoms, and general health were assessed in a sample of patients from 48 physician groups.