Dr. Julio Montaner, Director of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS is not a man to mince his words or spare those in power a tongue lashing when he senses they could do more – much more – to fight the epidemic.
“All the evidence is in. What we are lacking is political leadership to implement what we know works, to do it effectively and to do it now” he says.
Talk to him privately and he’ll name names, talk colourfully about his repeated overtures to the federal government and to his provincial colleagues that have been brushed aside. He’s clearly both frustrated by Canada in particular but at the same time buoyed by the many other countries and jurisdictions who have taken his lead as well as the support shown by organizations like the World Health Organization and UNAIDS.
Who is Julio Montaner? Born In Argentina in 1956 – he still speaks with a thick accent – he was attached to St Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver and was the first member of the HIV department at St. Paul’s Hospital when it was founded in the 1980’s. In 1996, Montaner presented the results of his pioneering research on triple therapy to treat HIV infections at the XI International AIDS Conference in Vancouver. Montaner served as the President of the International AIDS Society from 2008 to 2010. He is considered the leading HIV/AIDS expert in British Columbia and a global leader in HIV/AIDS research.
Bob Leahy
Positive Lite.com
Read The Full Story