Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) meeting summary.

The Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) planning meeting was the first of a series of organizational meetings and VA-sponsored conference calls designed to build the scientific foundation and methodological infrastructure for a multisite, longitudinal study of HIV and chronic disease outcomes among aging veterans. More specifically, it served as a consensus conference to determine scientific priorities, develop hypotheses, and to assemble working groups and committees to outline the specific methodological approaches needed. Scientists, physicians from 20 VA clinical facilities in the United States, community members, and experts in the fields of immunology, cancer, sociology, aging, cognition, psychiatry and mental health, epidemiology, large database analysis, and health services research gathered for an intense, 2-day meeting held in Pittsburgh, PA, November 8-9, 2000.