iTHRIV seeks to address COVID-19 information gap in Virginia

The Integrated Translational Health Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV) has developed an online tool to collect COVID-19 related information from volunteers who are residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The iTHRIV research team is led by Don Brown and Johanna Loomba at the University of Virginia, with guidance provided by a cross-state group of advisers.

The project, titled “COVID and the Commonwealth: An iTHRIV Health Status Registry,” aims to fill an information gap by collecting self-reported data from individuals who may be healthy and/or convalescing at home. The information collected will pertain to simple demographic identifiers such as age and gender, social questions regarding job loss and stress, and more detailed inquiries surrounding health. The registry is not designed to address one specific question, but rather is an ongoing effort to collect and pool this valuable data. Health researchers can apply to use any portion of that data to better understand and describe the impact of COVID-19 on Virginians. Additionally, participants will have the option to be contacted regarding future volunteer opportunities for COVID-19-related clinical research.

The registry is entirely voluntary and relies on Virginians to self-report. If the health status of an individual changes, they may amend their questionnaire answers. iTHRIV understands the importance of data security. When individuals agree to participate, their personal information will be treated as highly sensitive data and stored securely in the registry within UVA Health. Only researchers who have permission can gain access to the data in order to answer important questions about COVID-19. Those researchers will agree to securely protect the data extracts according to approved methods.

For more information, please visit www.iTHRIV.org.

About iTHRIV

iTHRIV is a cross-state translational research institute which combines the expertise of clinical translational biomedical researchers and data scientists to create infrastructure and investigator resources for using data to improve health across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Partner sites include University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Carilion Clinic and Inova Health System.

Learn more about the NIH CTSA program.

Learn more about iTHRIV.

MORE: iTHRIV funds ambitious statewide collaborations to benefit human health.

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