BC-CfE’s Dr. Kate Salters recognized with New Investigator Award
Over a dozen outstanding BC-CfE researchers presented at this April’s Canadian HIV/AIDS Research Association (CAHR) Conference in Vancouver. BC-CfE Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Kate Salters was awarded the New Investigator Award in Clinical Sciences for her research work. She presented study results showing marginalized individuals living with HIV in BC are still dying of HIV-related causes, even with advances in treatment-demonstrating a need for more targeted health interventions.
Conference scholarship winner Nanditha Ni Gusti Ayu showed that HIV diagnosis were sometimes being missed in health care settings: 17 per cent of people living with HIV had at least one missed opportunity for earlier diagnosis within five years.
Mathematical modeler Ignacio Rozada shared encouraging estimates showing that optimizing access to both HIV treatment and to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) would eventually eliminate HIV among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in BC.
The conference was also an opportunity to present a wealth of research evidence from the Vancouver-based Momentum Health Study of the MSM community. For example, PrEP scale-up may require access to the HIV prevention drug through sexual health clinics for those not engaged with a primary care provider.
Other highlights included findings from the CHIWOS study on sexual health and sexuality among women living with HIV, the COAST study on aging with HIV and co-morbidities, and on transgender people living with HIV pulled from the nationwide CANOC study.
Click here to view all the posters presented by the BC-CfE at CAHR.