Vancouver, B.C. [April 23, 2015] Dr. Julio Montaner, Director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) at Providence Health Care, was among a select group inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame on Thursday. He joins five other outstanding doctors who”represent Canada’s most accomplished medical innovators”.
“I am greatly honoured to join the ranks of the country’s best medical pioneers and thank all those who have supported me throughout my career,” said Dr. Montaner.”I hope this remarkable milestone is surpassed by the eventual end of HIV and AIDS worldwide. I believe we can reach such an ambitious target within my lifetime, provided we implement the treatments and resources available to us now.”
Very early on in his career, Dr. Montaner demonstrated his capability as a visionary researcher. In the 80s, he was part of a team that developed effective treatment and prevention strategies to conquer PCP (pneumocystis carinii). This previously unusual pneumonia had emerged as a leading cause of death among MSM, and would be eventually linked to HIV and AIDS.
Building on this discovery, in the early 90s, Dr. Montaner led an international consortium of investigators to test the viability of a novel triple”drug cocktail” for HIV – highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART. The treatment would become a worldwide gamechanger, and is now the international gold standard of HIV treatment included in guidelines from the World Health Organization and UNAIDS.
Dr. Montaner pioneered his concept of Treatment as Prevention¨ (TasP¨) in 2006, based on the idea of providing full and earlier access to antiretroviral treatment. Providing people living with HIV with immediate and sustained treatment improves their health and longevity while dramatically reducing the likelihood of spreading the virus.
With support of the provincial government, the implementation of TasP¨ in British Columbia has been successful in reducing HIV morbidity and mortality by over 90 per cent and decreasing new cases by over two thirds since the early ’90s. At the global level, TasP¨ is the backbone of an international UNAIDS strategy aiming to eliminate HIV and AIDS by 2030. Indeed, Dr. Montaner believes this model has the potential to be applied to other infectious diseases such as hepatitis C.
In B.C., Dr. Montaner has also helped lead efforts to reach particularly vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations affected by HIV and other related illnesses. Coupling the TasP¨ strategy with a harm reduction approach has achieved the stunning feat of virtually eliminating HIV transmission among injection drug users – something unheard of anywhere else in the world.
Dr. Montaner is widely recognized for his enormous contributions to fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS. B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake has said that no one in the province – and possibly the world – has made a bigger contribution to the field of HIV and AIDS research and treatment.
The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Laureates are individuals whose outstanding contributions to medicine and the health sciences have led to extraordinary improvements in human health. Pioneers in their field, they are role models and inspiration to young Canadians to pursue careers in the health sciences. This year, Dr. Montaner joins an impressive list of six Laureates, including the highly decorated military physician and author of In Flanders Fields, the late John McCrae.
Milestones in Dr. Montaner’s medical career:
- In 1996, Dr. Montaner was the key driver in the discovery of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), a game changer that helps to reduce viral load in HIV patients. Sustained HAART treatment dramatically reduces the risk of spreading HIV, while improving the health and longevity of patients on treatment.
- In 2006, Dr. Montaner pioneered an innovative new concept called Treatment as Prevention¨ (TasP¨) based on the notion that providing access to HAART at the earliest point following an HIV diagnosis could dramatically reduce the spread of HIV.
- In 2009, the B.C. Government announced the launching of a four-year pilot project of the TasP¨ strategy, called STOP HIV/AIDS¨.
- Before the pilot had wrapped up and based on its early and remarkable success, the B.C. Government announced in 2013 a province-wide expansion of the STOP HIV/AIDS¨ program. The announcement came with $19.9 million in funding for the province-wide rollout in an effort to provide prevention, testing, and treatment to hard-to-reach and highly impacted communities.
- The success of the B.C. TasP¨ strategy has gained national and international attention. In September 2014, the United Nations endorsed the made-in-BC TasP¨ strategy pioneered by Dr. Montaner in its launch of 90-90-90, a global plan to combat the spread of HIV.
- Dr. Montaner has received numerous honours and awards, including Officer in the Order of Canada (2014), the Prix Galien Award (2010), and the Albert Einstein World of Science Award (2010).
About the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE)
Canada’s largest HIV/AIDS research, treatment and education facility is internationally recognized as an innovative world leader in combating HIV/AIDS and related diseases. BC-CfE is based at St. Paul’s Hospital, Providence Health Care, a teaching hospital of the University of British Columbia. The BC-CfE works in close collaboration with key provincial stakeholders, including the B.C. government, health authorities, health care providers, academics from other institutions, and the community to decrease the health burden of HIV and AIDS. By developing, monitoring and disseminating comprehensive research and treatment programs for HIV and related illnesses, the BC-CfE helps improve the health of British Columbians living with HIV.
For additional information or to request interviews, please contact:
Caroline Dobuzinskis
Phone: 604-682-2344
Cell: 604-366-6540
Email: cdobuzin@bccfe.ca
Video by Craig Davis