Participants
Our Participants
Participants are vital to the MWCCS study and one of the main reasons for conducting the MWCCS study. Study participants are followed at annual clinical study visits where data on multiple physical, biological and psychosocial variables are collected. The study aims to improve the lives of women and men living with HIV and those at risk of HIV infection, and to expand knowledge related to HIV prevention and treatment.
One of the most important things about being a study participant in WIHS for the past 8 years is the ability to leave a legacy for my family, my community and the world. Just the thought that my samples, my insights and opinions can help shape the knowledge of future generations is exciting. Our samples give established researchers and early career scientists the ability to help unlock some of the scientific codes and mysteries surrounding HIV. They can’t learn without having something to perform experiments on. Many years have passed since the 1987 book and movie, And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic debuted but some things are still left to be discovered.
In addition, as the UAB NCAB representative for the past 3 years, I have had the ability to meet many people and organizations that have banded together to help fight the spread of HIV. Each and every person within the WIHS and MACS institutions that I have met have demonstrated time and time again their commitment to researching HIV with the hopes of one day wiping it off the earth. I am honored to do my part in achieving this monumental task. Come join myself and others in the fight to eradicate HIV from the world by joining the MWCCS NCAB. For more information you can reach me at martharwilliams60@gmail.com.
Ms. Martha Williams
UAB NCAB Representative. WIHS active participant since 2013.
Ms. Queenethel Hatfield
UMMC NCAB Representative. WIHS active participant since 2014
I am Queenethel Hatfield. I am the mother of two wonderful teenagers, a son and a daughter. My daughter is attending college in hopes of becoming a psychologist. My son is seeking his GED and a trade in welding. I see life as an open book….ready to be read with allowable script changes as needed.
I have been a participant in the WIHS study since June 2014. Currently, I serve as co-chair of the NCAB for the MACS/WIHS CCS study. As NCAB co-chair, I am committed to being a voice for women in the study who are HIV positive and HIV negative. It is a commitment to meetings, emails, phone calls, conference calls, teamwork, and some travel, but it is worth it. The “worth it” comes with knowing that the research aims to understand and reduce the impact of chronic health conditions—including heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) disorders—that affect people living with HIV. Furthermore, I am hoping that my participation in the study can help reduce much of the stigma that surrounds those affected by and infected with HIV. I am honored to be a study participant and to represent men and women in the south.
If you have questions about the study or want to learn more about what participation actually involves, please email me at queenhatfield@comcast.net.
Recruitment
The MWCCS is an observational study that does not provide medication or any other intervention treatment to participants. If you choose to enroll in this study, you will be asked to provide data through
- Comprehensive Interviews
- Physical and gynecological medical examinations
- Collection of specimens that include blood, urine, hair, and cervical fluids.
The data you will provide will generate scientific knowledge regarding the effect of HIV infection on the health and well-being of those affected. As an HIV-negative participant, your data will be used to compare with data of participants living with HIV. In addition, your involvement in this study will provide you with the knowledge of how HIV affects your own body. Every MWCCS participant is important!
If you have questions and/or would like to contact a MWCCS staff person, contact Dr. Zenoria Causey Pruitt at UAB, 205-975-9128
or Venetra McKinney at UMMC at 601-815-5187.
