About Us

The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) is a longitudinal cohort study investigating the long-term effects of HIV and antiretroviral (ARV) medications in children and young adults who were born with HIV or born exposed to HIV. The study follows newborns, young children, adolescents, and young adults. 

The advances in treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV have been groundbreaking. As a result, the number of new perinatally-infected children in the U.S. is now small.There have also been remarkable improvements in the treatment of infants, children and young adults who were infected with HIV at birth. This has ensured that most previously infected American infants and children have survived through adolescence and are approaching adulthood.

Because of these advances, the number of adolescents and young adults living with HIV since birth worldwide is growing - both in resource-poor settings and settings with increasing levels of health care. In the U.S. alone, is estimated that there are approximately 10,000 perinatally-HIV-infected (PHIV+) adolescents/young adults,¹  and globally, there is a cohort of adolescents and young adults who have been living with HIV infection since birth and are aging into young adulthood.

The studies that PHACS supports investigate the impact of HIV infection and its treatment on the long term survival and outcomes among these young adults. PHACS's research seeks to improve both quality of life and health care for young adults affected by HIV.