‘A global problem needs a global solution,’ says UNAIDS director Winnie Byanyima is trying to hold onto hope in the face of what she calls unbelievable cruelty. She is the director of UNAIDS, the United Nations agency that, until recently, was on track to meet its target of ending AIDS as a public health threat
The executive director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS is calling on governments across the country and abroad to implement a comprehensive strategy to reduce deaths and infections after new research identified solutions towards the goal of an HIV-free generation. Dr. Julio Montaner’s call comes after research published in the Lancet HIV journal
Doctors working to limit the spread of syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea — and their potential complications if left untreated — are turning to a promising new means of prevention. It’s known as DoxyPEP, which stands for doxycycline (an antibiotic) post-exposure prophylaxis. Some liken it to a “morning-after pill,” as you take it after sexual activity
Megan Obermayer: FHS Award for Outstanding Service to the Faculty of Health Sciences Throughout her undergraduate degree, Megan Obermayer was involved in various aspects of the health sciences community, including volunteering with the Health Sciences Undergraduate Journal and the FHS Peer Mentorship Program. One of her most memorable experiences was creating the SFU Lung Health
The Faculty of Health Sciences is pleased to highlight the work of four students who received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) in support of their graduate research. Maggie Duncan CIHR Canada Doctoral Graduate Scholarship 2023 competition Doctoral candidate Maggie Duncan has always
VANCOUVER – An expanded Hope to Health clinic will help more people with complex health, mental-health and addiction challenges in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). “When someone makes the brave decision to ask for help, they need to be met with compassion, support and receive immediate access to treatment,” said Premier David Eby. “The Hope to
B.C. is taking action to make illicit drug use illegal in all public spaces, including inside hospitals, on transit and in parks. It’s part of several new measures introduced by the Province, focused on providing police with more tools to address public safety while offering support and access to treatment for people living with addictions.
VANCOUVER – People in B.C. will be better protected against the hepatitis C virus (HCV) as the Province takes further action to accelerate the elimination of the disease and provide better supports for people living with HCV. To better help government measure the reduction of the viral infection, the Province is bringing together the BC
The CIHR-IPPH Trailblazer Award in Population and Public Health Research is a career achievement award that recognizes exceptional contributions in the area of population and public health research. The CIHR-IPPH Trailblazer Award is designed to recognize the exemplary efforts and activities of exceptional Canadian researchers at different career stages who have created a highly influential
Although it was approved for use in Canada in March 2020, an injectable HIV treatment is still not covered under B.C.’s public health care system. AIDS Vancouver is calling on the government to change that. “It’s stressful,” said Vancouver resident George Astakeesic. Living with HIV has been a long journey for Astakeesic, who navigates a
March 8 marks International Women’s Day, an event to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness of bias, and take action for equality. Despite the leaps and bounds we have made in science and health care over the past few decades, there remains a lack of equality when it comes to women’s health research. It continues to
Dr. Francis Mwimanzi started his CTN Mark Wainberg Postdoctoral Fellowship in the summer of 2022. A biomedical scientist who specializes in virology and immunology, Dr. Mwimanzi has embarked on a project to improve our understanding of the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines among people living with HIV. But how did he get to where he
Alexander Tsang, a third-year Sauder student, started using PrEP in summer 2020 after a Grindr hookup. “It was pretty sketchy,” he recalled of the hookup. Tsang, who is from Vancouver, said he contacted a few clinics around the city before he was able to get on PrEP through the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).
Love Positive Women is an international movement that invites us to celebrate women living with HIV around the globe. This annual event is an opportunity to engage in acts of caring for the women living with HIV in our community, both in private acts and in pushing for systems change. In Canada, women make up
In Ghana, remarkably diverse HIV strains cocirculate, but the full extent of this diversity remains unresolved. Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) MSc student Anna Appah published a study examining HIV-1 subtype diversity in Ghana, increasing the country’s mere 31 full-genome HIV sequences in the public domain by over 200%. Up-to-date information on HIV diversity, subtype
People with suppressed HIV respond well to mRNA vaccines, but individuals with a low CD4 count may not be adequately protected. People living with HIV generally respond well to COVID-19 vaccines—especially if they receive booster shots—thereby dramatically reducing their risk of severe illness and death, according to several recent studies. But those with poorly controlled
… 4. HAART In the early 1980s, cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) were rising and, by the 1990s, millions of people were infected and dying. Dr. Julio Montaner, originally from Argentina, became a post-doctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia in 1981. Six years later, Dr. Montaner became the university’s director of
El 1o de diciembre, el “DÃa Mundial del SIDA”, mientras reflexionamos sobre el grave impacto del VIH/SIDA en los últimos 40 años, nos encontramos frente a un precipicio donde todos los avances que hemos logrado están en peligro. La marea comenzó a cambiar en contra de la epidemia de VIH/SIDA cuando anunciamos el cóctel de
In adults, initial infection with syphilis can cause a small painless and temporary sore, sometimes on the genitals. As this sore can also occur inside the mouth or ano-genital tract, it can go unnoticed. After initial infection with this sexually transmitted infection (STI), the germs that cause syphilis can quickly spread throughout the body. If
Dr. Julio Montaner discusses HIV/AIDS, where we are at in treatment, where we need to go and what roadblocks still need to be removed In 1996, Dr. Julio Montaner hosted the Vancouver International AIDS Conference and shared the HAART antiretroviral treatment he and a team of committed scientists was pioneering in Vancouver. Since then, he
The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below
