Fifty-three year old Vancouver resident Sage Rinaldo lived with hepatitis C for many years before working up the courage to seek treatment. Rinaldo credits a community health nurse in the Downtown Eastside who gained her trust and helped her successfully treat her hepatitis C with a new anti-viral treatment. Now, Rinaldo is giving back by
Shocking numbers of Americans still think one has to be “careful” around people living with HIV. The level of perceived and actual stigma around HIV remains high, while public knowledge about it remains low, even though there are effective treatments and reliable means of preventing transmission. Those are among the findings of GLAAD’s State of
Enhanced training for those who collect specimens for COVID-19 testing can help increase the accuracy of diagnostic results, according to a new study led by SFU health sciences PhD student Natalie Kinloch. Kinloch, a Vanier scholar and research assistant at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, worked with health sciences professor Zabrina Brumme and
Research presented to the 23rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020: Virtual) last week on ‘Undetectable = Untransmittable’ (U=U) indicates varying levels of awareness and acceptance of this powerful message, despite the conclusive finding that people living with HIV who have an undetectable viral cannot infect others. Launched in mid-2016 by activists and researchers in New
Aniqa Shahid, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), has been successful in the CIHR doctoral research competition, winning the Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Award. In addition to supporting her current research, this award will help her with future applications for post-doctoral research opportunities, as well as
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the global battle against infectious diseases. Several countries have made improvements in their fight against new HIV infections in recent years, but reports say the coronavirus crisis has undermined HIV prevention and sexual reproductive health services for key populations and affected communities worldwide. Even the world’s leading HIV conference
Can you provide a brief overview of your lab’s current research focus? Before the pandemic, our lab studied HIV genetic diversity at the within-host and population levels, towards the ultimate goal of designing preventive (e.g. vaccine) or curative strategies. After COVID-19 emerged however, we, like other virology laboratories across the globe, pivoted our research programme
Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) PhD student and Vanier scholar Natalie Kinloch recently led a study that was published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, showing that improper collection of nasopharyngeal swabs is a major cause of false-negative COVID-19 diagnostic tests. She has been with the Faculty of Health Sciences since 2010, completing a BSc
Many Canadians have played – and continue to play – a defining role in our nation’s health. A special thank you to Kathleen Dickson and Dr. John Bergeron for pointing out that yes, indeed, there are also many women who have made – and continue to make – significant contributions to health. We have added
A special thank you to Kathleen Dickson and Dr. John Bergeron for pointing out that yes, indeed, there are also many women who have made – and continue to make – significant contributions to health. We have added their additions below, but this list is by no means complete. From open heart surgery to child-resistant
The dramatic saga of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) features an early sense of helplessness and frustration in the face of a mysterious new disease, courage on the part of the afflicted, and the gradual accrual of groundbreaking scientific advances that have brought hope to a formerly desperate situation. This progress began with a series
The dramatic saga of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) features an early sense of helplessness and frustration in the face of a mysterious new disease, courage on the part of the afflicted, and the gradual accrual of groundbreaking scientific advances that have brought hope to a formerly desperate situation. This progress began with a series
This June marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride parade, which arose in protest against police brutality and for the rights of LGBTQ people. Health equity has always been an indispensable part of that struggle. … The pandemics are ongoing, while access and treatment reflect health disparities Both pandemics are still ongoing. “A lot
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced the release of a nationwide contact tracing app. He remarked that it would be “something you can just download and forget about.” In the wake of demonstrations in response to the killing of George Floyd, the Minneapolis Public Safety Commissioner stated that the police had begun tracking down protesters
To mark the 25th anniversary of The American Journal of Managed Care¨ (AJMC¨), we spoke with Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Fauci has been at NIAID for 36 years, and he gave a keynote address at the first International AIDS Conference in San Francisco in 1990.
We are profoundly aware that systemic racism – and racism of any kind – stigma and discrimination severely compromise the effectiveness of our public health interventions and tear at the fabric of our society. As such, we remain fully committed to confront and rectify these whenever and wherever present. Our Centre was established in 1992
It may sound odd to some, given the months of “Stay at home” messaging, but the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has released guidelines on how to have a pleasurable sex life while also minimizing your chance of exposure to the new coronavirus. The guidelines, released on June 8, acknowledge
Two studies from Flinders University have identified several underlying problems faced by HIV programs in African countries, including a lack of nutritional programs for poor patients and inefficient systems that discourage people from using them. Closing these gaps in care could improve access for those worse affected by HIV in developing countries. Programs managing HIV
Comments come as B.C.’s city with highest number of Chinese reports lowest infection rates on Lower Mainland The Chinese community’s early efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in B.C. appear to have paid off, despite some of its members being stigmatized because of the virus, say infectious disease doctors. Data recently released by the
The COVID-19-related death toll in the United States recently surpassed 100,000. Estimates for how many more people will die because of COVID-19 vary wildly. Some are describing this situation as unprecedented. It is not. And I know because I am a long-term survivor of HIV. I have been living with HIV for nearly four decades
