Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded a $752,904 Project Grant to the University of California, San Francisco on June 10, 2026, under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837). The award supports a research initiative titled "From Evidence to Scale: Implementation Science and Simulation Modeling to Transform HIV-Hypertension Care Integration," with performance completion scheduled for February 28, 2029. The project delivers three primary products: (1) development and validation of an enhanced HIV Synthesis Microsimulation Model that incorporates health system constraints and hypertension/cardiovascular disease outcomes using data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded HLB-SIMPLE Consortium's cluster randomized trials across six African countries; (2) health effects and cost-effectiveness analyses evaluating implementation strategies for integrating HIV and hypertension care across settings representing West, East, and Southern Africa; and (3) dissemination and implementation support products including policy workshops and interactive modeling tools designed to promote uptake of research findings by policymakers and program managers.

This research addresses a critical public health need identified by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program, as HIV programs mature and cardiovascular disease becomes an increasingly prominent cause of morbidity and mortality. The modeling and analytical outputs will enable health systems operating under varying resource constraints to identify the most effective and scalable approaches for integrated HIV-hypertension prevention and treatment, ultimately improving health outcomes for populations with and without HIV across resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa.