The mission of the Penn CFAR Clinical Core is to promote and support basic, translational, epidemiologic, implementation, and patient-oriented research related to HIV and its co-morbidities.
The Clinical Core maintains longitudinal Adult/Adolescent and Pediatric Databases that include information on over 3,300 men, women, adolescents, and children living with HIV who are receiving care in University of Pennsylvania affiliated hospitals. These databases contain patient demographics, clinical and therapeutic information, and behavioral and psychosocial data. Data on adults can be linked to the University of Pennsylvania Data Store, which contain diagnoses, medication lists, laboratory and radiology test results, procedures, and healthcare utilization data from all inpatient and outpatient encounters within the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The CFAR Databases can be linked to Adult/Adolescent and Pediatric Repositories that contain stored plasma, serum, and cells. Additional types of patient specimens can be collected by request.
These resources are available to promote interdisciplinary HIV research across the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Wistar Institute campuses, and also are available to non-Penn CFAR members.
Available Services
- Penn CFAR Adult/Adolescent and Pediatric Database Access
- HIV Prevention Database Access
- Perinatal HIV Database Access
- Penn CFAR Adult/Adolescent and Pediatric Specimen Repository Access
- Procurement of Fresh Specimens
- Specimen Processing and Storage
- Consultations on Study Design and Available Services
- Philadelphia Department of Public Health Data Access
To request Clinical Core Services, please complete the Penn CFAR Clinical Core Requests Form.
Questions concerning study design or availability of services should be directed to Vin Lo Re, Director, Clinical Core, or Bill Short and Sarah Wood , Co-Directors, Clinical Core.
The Penn CFAR Clinical Core works closely with the members of the Penn AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU). The Penn ACTU is dedicated to developing and conducting research on new treatment options for HIV (including long-acting therapies), HIV-associated opportunistic infections, HIV cure, and comorbidities. For additional information regarding current studies conducted by the Penn ACTU, visit the Penn ACTU website.
Penn CFAR Adult/Adolescent and Pediatric Database Access
The Penn CFAR Clinical Core provides access to investigators interested in querying the Penn CFAR Adult/Adolescent and Pediatric Databases, either for preparation of research questions (e.g., to confirm availability of potential participants within a database with specified characteristics) or to implement retrospective studies using existing data. For assistance in accessing these databases, please complete a Penn CFAR Clinical Core Requests Form.
- Questions concerning study design or availability of data or other services should be directed to Vin Lo Re, Director, Clinical Core or Bill Short or Sarah Wood, Co-Directors, Clinical Core.
- Questions specifically about the Penn CFAR Pediatric Database should be directed to Sarah Wood.
- Click here for a Data Dictionary of all the variables included in the CFAR Adult/Adolescent Database.
- Click here to view a report on the CFAR Adult-Adolescent Database
Specimen Repository Access, Procurement of Fresh Specimens, Consultations, & Specimen Processing and Storage
The Penn CFAR Clinical Core provides access to investigators interested in querying the Penn CFAR Adult/Adolescent and Pediatric Specimen Repositories for preparation of research questions (e.g., to check for the availability of specimens from patients with specified characteristics). For assistance in accessing the Specimen Repositories, please complete a Penn CFAR Clinical Core Requests Form.
- Questions concerning study design or availability of data or other services should be directed to Vin Lo Re, Director, Clinical Core or Bill Short or Sarah Wood, Co-Directors, Clinical Core.
- Questions specifically about the Penn CFAR Pediatric Database should be directed to Sarah Wood.
HIV Prevention Database Access
The CFAR maintains a database derived from approximately 250 men and transgender individuals who have sex with men screening for HIV prevention trials. Data elements include HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) attitudes, belief, intentions, and use; sexual behaviors; substance use; and demographics. Questions about the Prevention Database should be directed to Sarah Wood.
Consultation
The clinical core offers consultations in the following:
- Assistance with study design
- Creation of informed consent forms
- Institutional review board (IRB) submission materials
- Preparation of case report forms
Philadelphia Department of Public Health Data Access
The Penn CFAR has partnered with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) to facilitate public health-academic research partnerships. The Penn CFAR Clinical Core will assist with the development and submission of Data Analysis Concept Proposals to the PDPH for utilization of the following data sources: HIV Surveillance, National HIV Behavioral Surveillance, the Medical Monitoring Project, Perinatal HIV Surveillance, Ryan White CAREWare, Molecular HIV Surveillance Data, and Data to Care. Investigators can also work with the Clinical Core to create and submit data requests for limited data elements from PDPH. Questions concerning availability of data or other services should be directed to Sarah Wood, Co-Director of the Clinical Core.