Joint Modeling of Incomplete Data with Diverse Variable Types using Latent-Variable Models

CHIPTS Methods Seminar – UCLA-Semel Institute Center for Community Health

Joint Modeling of Incomplete Data with Diverse Variable Types using Latent-Variable Models

Presented by:

Thomas R. Belin, Ph.D.

Professor, UCLA Department of Biostatistics

Tuesday, October 8, 2013
2pm – 3pm

Abstract:  In incomplete data sets with many variables and diverse variable types (e.g., continuous, ordinal categorical, nominal categorical), it is challenging to develop general-purpose strategies for handling missing data.  After reviewing sequential regression imputation methods (e.g., IVEWare, ICE, MICE, MIDAS) that might be viewed as competitors, this presentation will discuss joint modeling strategies based on latent-variable models that allow for the inclusion of diverse data types.  In particular, we will focus on the use of models that can be fit with the help of a parameter-extended Metropolis-Hastings strategy for drawing correlation matrices in an MCMC inference framework.  Illustrative examples will be presented and future directions for research in this area will be considered.

Clinical Trials of PrEP in Los Angeles

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a method to prevent HIV infection among those who are HIV-negative. PrEP involves the use of antiretroviral medications by those who are HIV-negative to reduce the risk of HIV infection via sexual transmission. A number of PrEP trials and demonstration projects has been implemented across the U.S. and around the world, including Los Angeles.

To download the list of clinical trials of PrEP conducted in Los Angeles, please click here: [Download not found]. Please note that all studies on the list have completed enrollment.

For more information about how to access PrEP and PEP in Los Angeles County, please click here: http://getprepla.com/.

PrEP-Referral-Site-Info_v23_070615

Colloquium: “Covered California and HIV in LA County: Getting Everyone on the Same Page”

August 8, 2013 – Mr. Tom Donohoe, Director of the UCLA Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center, presented on the Affordable Care Act.  The presentation was given as part of the HIV Community and Research Colloquia Series hosted by the Los Angeles County (LAC) Commission on HIV and the UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (CHIPTS).   The presentation specifically focused on Covered California (California’s health insurance marketplace) and how it impacts consumers living with HIV in Los Angeles County.  Using case-based examples, the presentation helped to dispel misconceptions about what health care reform will do and not do for these populations infected and affected by HIV.   The event was attended by over 130 participants, including members of the LAC’s Commission on HIV, local HIV service providers, key community stakeholders, and consumers of HIV prevention and care services.   For a copy of the slides presented at the meeting, please click here.  To view the presentation, please click below.

The presentation was followed by a panel discussion.  The panelists included Derrick Butler, MD of THE Clinic, Aaron Fox of the LA Gay & Lesbian Center, John Riley of AIDS Project Los Angeles, Carlos Vega-Matos of Los Angeles County Division of HIV and STD Programs, and Michael Kelly.   To view the panel discussion, please click below.

 

CHIPTS hosts a monthly HIV Research and Community Colloquia Series in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV to highlight current issues and conversations surrounding HIV. Click here for past lectures and check out the events page for more information on future Colloquia presentations!

CHIPTS Investigator in the News: Social media may prove useful in prevention of HIV, STDs, study shows

By Enrique Rivero February 06, 2013
Facebook and other social networking technologies could serve as effective tools for preventing HIV infection among at-risk groups, new UCLA research suggests.
In a study published in the February issue of the peer-reviewed journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases, researchers found that African American and Latino men who have sex with men voluntarily used health-related Facebook groups, which were created by the study’s investigators, to discuss such things as HIV knowledge, stigma and prevention and ultimately to request at-home HIV testing kits.
“Researchers, policymakers and public health professionals are hoping that social media can be used as a tool for improving health research and solving health and HIV prevention–related issues,” said principal investigator Sean Young, an assistant professor of family medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “This study helps direct us toward that goal by suggesting that participants will use social media to learn about HIV prevention and that those who talk about HIV prevention over social networking groups are not just talking about it — they are acting on their words by getting an HIV test.”
The study also demonstrates that social networking can be a useful tool for collecting and analyzing data, added Young, who is a member of the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) at UCLA.
“Having one platform that allows multiple types of data collection and analysis can save money and improve the accuracy of research findings,” he said.
The researchers recruited African American and Latino men who have sex with men, either through banner ads placed on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, through a Facebook fan page with study information, through banner ads and posts on Craigslist, and from venues such as bars, schools, gyms and community organizations in Los Angeles. They also recruited study subjects from other population groups to add diversity to the study group.
African American men who have sex with men have been shown to have a disproportionately high risk of becoming infected with HIV, and Latino men are also at high risk, the researchers said.
In total, 112 participants were recruited, nearly 90 percent of whom were African American or Latino, for the 12-week intervention and one-year follow-up after. The average age was 31.
Participants were randomly assigned on Facebook to either a general health group or a secret HIV-prevention group — one that could not be accessed or searched for by non-group members.
The researchers found that participants in the HIV-prevention group freely discussed HIV-related topics such as prevention, testing, knowledge, stigma and advocacy. Those over the age of 31 were more likely to discuss prevention, testing, stigma and advocacy topics, while younger members were more interested in HIV knowledge–related discussions.
In addition, participants who posted about prevention and testing had over 11 times the odds of requesting an HIV testing kit than participants who did not discuss those topics.
Given that all the study participants were from Los Angeles, the findings may not apply to men from other areas, the researchers noted.
Still, the findings suggest that social networking technologies can help increase HIV and STD-related communication among African American and Latino men who have sex with men.
“Participants frequently and willingly used social networking groups to initiate HIV-related conversations, and HIV/STD prevention–related conversations were associated with increased requests for home-based HIV tests,” the researchers write. “As social networking usage continues to grow among at-risk populations, it becomes important to understand how to use these innovative and engaging social technologies for population-focused STD prevention.”
Devan Jaganath, a medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA,co-authored the study.
The National Institute of Mental Health (1 K01 MH090884) funded the research, with additional support from CHIPTS and the UCLA AIDS Institute.
The UCLA Department of Family Medicine provides comprehensive primary care to entire families, from newborns to seniors. It provides low-risk obstetrical services and prenatal and inpatient care at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, and outpatient care at the University Family Health Center in Santa Monica and the Mid-Valley Family Health Center, located in a Los Angeles County Health Center in Van Nuys, Calif. The department is also a leader in family medicine education, for both medical students and residents, and houses a significant research unit focusing on health care disparities among immigrant families and minority communities and other underserved populations in Los Angeles and California.
The Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) is a collaboration involving researchers from UCLA, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, the Friends Research Institute, the RAND Corp. and the broader Los Angeles community. It aims to enhance the collective understanding of HIV research and to promote early detection, effective prevention and treatment programs for HIV. Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, CHIPTS serves as a bridge among researchers, the government, service providers and people with HIV in responding to changes in the HIV epidemic and in shaping sound public policy. This is accomplished through a range of services, including consultation on the development of new research projects and assistance with obtaining funds for these initiatives. CHIPTS provides technical assistance in HIV program development and evaluation and sponsors an annual conference for researchers to present their work. In addition, the center hosts an annual policy forum for researchers, government officials and the HIV community to discuss emerging HIV policy issues and hosts a research colloquia series.
The UCLA AIDS Institute, established in 1992, is a multidisciplinary think tank drawing on the skills of top-flight researchers in the worldwide fight against HIV and AIDS, the first cases of which were reported in 1981 by UCLA physicians. Institute members include researchers in virology and immunology, genetics, cancer, neurology, ophthalmology, epidemiology, social sciences, public health, nursing and disease prevention. Their findings have led to advances in treating HIV, as well as other diseases, such as hepatitis B and C, influenza and cancer.

CCH/HSRC Methods Seminar: "Spreading the Love, Nothing Else" Presented by Ramin Bastani

What is Qpid.me?

A free, simple way to obtain, securely store and privately share your HIV/STD results.

We aim to make that always awkward, “um, have you been tested” situation a little easier by letting you have your STD results at your finger tips.

Biography: Ramin Bastani is founder of www.Qpid.me.  The consistent theme in his work is to help people make better / more informed decisions.  He graduated from the University of Southern California with a focus in the Entrepreneurship Program (Top Business Plan Award winner).  Mr. Bastani is passionate about dramatically reducing the spread of HIV/STI’s through a radically different approach that will save lives, stop STD’s and help people have more (safer) sex!

CCH/HSRC Methods Seminar – UCLA-Semel Institute Center for Community Health – UCLA-Semel Institute Health Services Research Center

 

 

Spreading the Love, Nothing Else

Presented on Tuesday, September 11, 2012, by

Ramin Bastani

Founder, Qpid.me

 

UCLA IMPACT 2012 Runner Up: Silent Love

Congratulations to the IMPACT 2012 Runner-Up!

“Silent Love” by:

Nestor Venegas, Ari DeLeon, Fanny Ramirez, Patrick Freeman, Victor Hernandez, Cesar Hernandez, Julio Reyes, and Manny Pacheco

 “Silent Love” was the product of one of the many HIV prevention programs at Vista Community Clinic which targets youth of color in non-traditional school settings (e.g., juvenile justice system, alcohol and drug rehabilitation facilities, homeless shelters, etc.). 

The program, titled CHATncsd, is an initiative funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health.  The program is unique in that it utilizes peer health educators to disseminate HIV prevention messages in person and via social media. 

They are currently using Facebook (facebook.com/CHATncsd), Twitter (twitter.com/CHATncsd), and YouTube(youtube.com/CHATncsd) to accomplish this objective (YouTube houses the rest of the videos that were created through this program).  

 CLICK HERE to learn more about IMPACT 2012.

 

 

UCLA IMPACT 2012 Grand Prize Winner: How I Use a Condom

Congratulations to the IMPACT 2012 Grand Prize Winner!

“How I Use A Condom” by:

Sonny Ngyuyen and Justin Taylor

Artist Bio: Justin Taylor

Justin Taylor is a graduate from The Evergreen State College where his focuses were on media production and business leadership.  Justin has volunteered as the marketing director for Capital City Pride for the past two years and  he currently works as an HIV/AIDS prevention coordinator for Pierce County AIDS Foundation where he runs the Mpowerment Olympia project.  Mpowerment Olympia seeks to mobilize young gay and bisexual men to create positive social connections for themselves while promoting safer-sex.  With his background in media and an outstanding volunteer team, Justin has been able to find exciting new ways of engaging with his local gay community.  Justin continues to be amazed by the dedication and talent of the volunteers he works with, specifically his friend and colleague Sonny Nguyen.

Presently, Justin is screening is first short film, “Tying the Knot” at film festivals across the nation.  “Tying the Knot” was a successfully funded Kickstarter project about a closeted politician trying to find redemption through his secret kinky relationship with a male prostitute. As an artist, he’s held firm in the belief that the further you can transport someone outside of what they know, only for them to find the interconnection of our shared human experience; that’s the potential magic of creation that happens every time someone views your art.

“Whatever your goal is in life, it has to withstand the process, and drive you every step of the way to see it become something tangible, something real and effectual” – Justin Taylor

More info can be found at: Mpoweroly.org and JCTaylordesign.com

 

Artist Bio: Sonny Nguyen

Sonny Nguyen is a queer person of color, a community organizer, and a storyteller. To Sonny, all of these things are the same, are crucial to informing each other. Through spoken word poetry, Sonny weaves the realities of people living on the intersections of hardships into collective stories and messages. Sonny does not claim to speak for any movements, but does their best to echo the voices of those around them. Sonny’s work has been featured at queer events and youth poetry events across the Puget Sound area, but can regularly be seen on the Hook Up, Mpowerment Olympia’s YouTube show at www.youtube.com/mpoweroly. Sonny is very humbled to be part of a winning team with peer and close friend Justin Taylor.

 

 CLICK HERE to learn more about IMPACT 2012.