Research
Since 1990, SIG has primarily focused on intervention and prevention
research on HIV, drug abuse, IPV and trauma. SIG will continue
to conduct rigorous research, employing novel intervention approaches
to address these co-occurring problems, and using state of the-art
research designs and analytic methods. The target population can
be loosely defined as those who are most vulnerable. In the past,
this has included low-income urban individuals, families and communities
who are affected by the overlapping problems of substance abuse,
intimate partner violence, HIV and trauma.
SIG recently completed a range of intervention and services research
studies, which were informed by earlier epidemiological studies
that examined the relationships between drug use, intimate partner
violence and HIV risk among women on methadone (i.e., Women’s
Health Project, 1996-2000) and among men on methadone (i.e., Men’s
Health Project, 1998-2002).
Current Projects
Eban 2001-2009: An NIMH-funded multi-site intervention
trial testing the efficacy of a couple HIV/STI intervention to reduce risk
of HIV/STI transmission between African American HIV mixed status couples.
For more information:
Connect Two 2004-2009: A NIDA-funded intervention trial
testing the efficacy of a couple HIV/STI intervention with men and women
in drug treatment and their primary heterosexual intimate partners.
For more information:
Women and Trauma, 2003-2007: A NIDA, Clinical Trials Network
funded national multi-site randomized clinical trial testing the effectiveness
of Seeking Safety, an integrated behavioral intervention for women with
post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder, in seven community-based
substance abuse treatment programs.
For more information:
Safe Steps, 2005-2010: This is a NIAAA-funded randomized clinical trial examining a combined behavioral and medication intervention for women with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder. Safe Steps is actively enrolling female participants into the study. The study is located at St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital Center in the Behavioral Science Research Unit on the Upper Westside of Manhattan.
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For more information:
Project Renaissance 2004 - ongoing: An NIMH-funded pilot
intervention trial to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a couple
HIV/STI intervention trial with injecting drug users and their heterosexual
intimate partners recruited from a needle exchange clinic in Chu, Kazakhstan.
For more information:
Parenting Pilot Grant, 2006: A pilot study funded by The
Columbia University School of Social Work Center for Intervention and Prevention
Research on HIV and Drug Abuse (CIPRHDA) testing the feasibility, acceptability
and satisfaction of a group parenting intervention for women with complex
trauma and substance use disorders enrolled in the Women’s Health
Project at St.Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center.
For more information:
SIG has also established a partnership with the Republican AIDS
Center (RAC) in Kazakhstan: SIG has completed a pilot HIV prevention
intervention study with RAC and is currently conducting an epidemiological
study on HIV risk among market vendors in Kazakhstan. SIG and RAC
are planning to submit two grants in 2006 to continue this partnership.
For more information:
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The Bridge Project: is currently in it's startup phase,
which involves hiring staff to manage and conduct the longitudinal panel
survey study with men and women attending alternative-to-incarceration programs
in NYC.
For more information:
Novel HIV Prevention for African American, Methamphetamine-Involved
Male Couples: Grant from the CDC for a 2-year, cooperative agreement/multi-site
study to develop an HIV preventive intervention for methamphetamine-involved
men who have sex with men.
For more information:
Dutchess County Juvenile Justice Feasibility Study: Drs. Hien and Schwalbe (Assistant Professor at CUSSW) conducted a feasibility study at the Dutchess County Criminal Courts and Probation Offices for Children to rates of traumatic exposure in adolescents on probation as part of an acceptability for a future intervention project and collaboration. The study was completed in Spring of 2007 and data was used in the preparation and submission of a R01 grant to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
HIV Intervention Science Minority Training Program Funding: April, 2007 - Drs. El-Bassel and Wu received a National Institute of Mental Health grant to establish a 3-year training program aimed at increasing research and ethnic minority (REM) investigators in HIV intervention science research. The HIV Intervention Science Training Program for Minority Investigators (HISTP) will be located at CUSSW’s Social Intervention Group (SIG), but will include collaboration with other prominent Columbia Centers, including the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at the New York Psychiatric Institute and the Columbia Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies. In addition to El-Bassel, Wu and colleagues at Columbia, the HISTP is supported by a network of leading HIV scientific advisors and mentors across country from over a dozen universities. The advisors and mentors are actively involved in the development of the program and in the direct training and support of the trainees.
REM populations are disproportionately represented amongst those living with HIV/AIDS, yet REM scientists trained as HIV/AIDS researchers are vastly under-represented. The HISTP mission is to facilitate the growth and development of a cadre of REM scientists who will focus their research upon HIV-related health disparities in HIV/AIDS and co-occurring mental health disorders. We seek to promote REM scientists to increase contributions to the empirical knowledge base on the design of contextually and culturally congruent interventions, through training, mentoring, and networking with a collective of senior REM scientists in the fields of HIV/AIDS, health disparities, and mental health and substance comorbidities. Specifically, 12 trainees will be selected over the next three years to receive intensive and specialized mentorship, including pilot funding and access to a multitude of resources and expert consultation. The first cohort of trainees will be selected in the summer of 2007.
For more information about the HIV Intervention Science Training Program for Minority Investigators, email histp@columbia.edu or call the Program Coordinator, Aimee Campbell, at 212-851-2417.
Project Renaissance Pilot Trial: This pilot study was funded by an NIMH supplement awarded in September 2004. The aim of this study was to develop and test the feasibility of a couples-based HIV/STI risk reduction intervention (CHSR) and to examine the preliminary effects of the CHSR on drug and sexual HIV risk behavioral outcomes among 40 IDUs and their main sexual partners in Shu, Kazakhstan. Of the 40 couples, 20 couples were randomized to the CHSR intervention and 20 couples were randomized to a wellness promotion control condition. Results showed that compared to participants assigned to the comparison condition, CHSR participants were significantly more likely to report a higher proportion of condom use during vaginal sex and fewer number of acts of unprotected vaginal sex as well as lower number and proportion of injection acts in which syringes or needles are shared from baseline to 3-month follow-up.
Pilot study with migrant market workers from the Barakholka market:
The pilot study had four components: The pilot was initiated by the investigative team in March 2006 at the Barakholka Market in Almaty Kazakhstan.
Key informant interviews with Market Personnel and Health Officials: Interviews were conducted with 20 key informants (6 market administrators, 4 pharmacists, 4 transport workers, 2 security guards, an accountant, a health care provider from a clinic that serves immigrants, a health official from the City AIDS Center and a representative of the City Department of Health in Almaty. Major findings: Market administrator records indicate that the large majority of market workers are from neighboring countries of Krygyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan as well as from Kazakhstan (often from rural areas who have migrated to cities for work). Workers are permitted to lease stalls for up to a year and often renew leases. The stalls employ different types of workers, including owners who are usually responsible for buying goods, vendors who sell goods at the stall and shuttle workers who transport and unload goods. Most stalls employ family members or workers from the same nationality. The Barakholka market offers a range of entertainment venues for market workers including 11 casinos on site and 50 restaurants and bars. Migrants will often turn to pharmacists in the market for medical advice and referrals. Only one clinic in Almaty provides limited health care for migrants on a sliding scale.
Key informant interviews with migrant market workers: Key informant interviews with 20 migrant market workers, 5 from each of the four CA countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan) were conducted by local researchers who worked closely with the investigative team from CU. These participants were recruited through a snow ball sampling procedure. If a potential participant expressed interest in the study, a research assistant obtained verbal assent to conduct a brief screening interview to determine if the person was eligible for the study. Most workers live in the vicinity of the marketplace in rented apartments often in crowded living conditions with other workers. The majority reported little or no access to health care services or any information about HIV or STIs. Almost all workers reported not using condoms during sex with a female partner in the past 90 days. Several workers reported engaging in sex with sex workers.
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Completed Projects
Project Reach 2000-2004: An NIMH-funded study which explores
the relationship dynamics and sequences of events that culminate in the
co-occurrence of partner violence and drug-related HIV risk-behaviors among
women visiting an emergency department. Findings from this study will increase
the understanding of the relationship between partner violence and HIV risk
behavior in order to inform assessment, referral, and treatment protocols
used by ED staff to meet the diverse needs of women who are at risk of partner
abuse and HIV infection.
The SUMMIT Project 2002-2005: A NIDA-funded study,
which examines patterns of service utilization among men on methadone
who report perpetrating intimate partner violence.
The Women’s Wellness Project 2003-2004: A
pilot intervention trial funded by the Edward S. Moore Foundation
which tests the feasibility and effectiveness of a 12-session integrated
relapse and IPV prevention intervention with 38 abused, drug-involved
women on methadone. The promising results from this recent pilot
trial have led SIG to submit a grant to NIDA to test the efficacy
of this intervention in a larger scale, randomized clinical trial.
The Father’s Project 2003-2005: A NIDA
funded qualitative study that examines fathering dynamics, intimate
partner violence and drug use among men on methadone who have children
under 18 years old.
Project LIGHT 1991-1997: (Living in Good Health
Together) an NIMH multi site HIV Prevention Trial that tested the
efficacy of an HIV risk reduction intervention with high-risk populations
from seven sites across the U.S. Conducted as part of a cooperative
agreement study which was the largest randomized controlled HIV
prevention trial in the U.S.
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For more info about Research, contact
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