Studying Respiratory Illnesses
- We want to learn how respiratory illnesses spread, how they impact people's lives, and what we can do to stop people from getting sick.
- Study activities include surveys, nasal swabs and blood draws for some participants.
Enrolling in the Greater Boston Area
- Our study welcomes people of all ages living in Boston, Chelsea, Cambridge, Revere and surrounding neighborhoods.
- Your home address must be in our study area as our drivers are only able to pick up swabs from certain zip codes. See Map
An Interest in Households
- A household is a group of people who all live together, just like a family or group of friends.
- We would love to enroll whole households to study how respiratory illnesses spread from person to person, and how they impact everyone in the home.
- Individuals can also enroll just by themselves.
About CHARM Study
The study is being done by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Our study is focused on the Greater Boston Area. There are similar studies ongoing in Seattle and San Diego.
If you are eligible and decide to join the CHARM study, your participation could last up to 5 years.
Study activities will include the following:
- When you join: Complete an online questionnaire
- Weekly: Answer brief symptom survey questions
- Periodically: Complete online surveys about yourself or your child/household
- Collect extra nasal swabs if you get sick and provide us with information about symptoms
- For some participants: Provide blood samples at a study clinic
- Optional household procedures: 2 weeks of daily swabs plus two blood draws
We will test your swab for respiratory synctial virus (RSV), influenza, COVID-19, and other viruses that cause a similar illness.
Yes, for being in the study you will receive:
- $100 per year for completing the surveys and nasal swab collection
- $40 for each blood draw
- $100 for household transmission study
Joining the study is easy! First, go here to see if you are eligible:
If you have any questions, please contact us:
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center team: email charmstudy@bidmc.harvard.edu or call 617-735-4610.
Every Household is Important!
