Dr. Daniel Skiest of Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, will discuss the “Top 10 HIV Issues of 2006” at this month’s Hartford HIV Forum. The forum will take place on Tuesday, November 14, 2006, from noon to 1:30 pm at The Institute for Community Research (ICR), 2 Hartford Square West (146 Wyllys St.), Suite 100. The event is free; lunch will be provided and advance registration is required.
Dr. Skiest has 16 years of experience as a clinical researchers and care provider. “We have gone from HIV being a death sentence to a manageable chronic disease that can be controlled with medications,” he observes. By combining different classes of drugs, researchers have been able to make medications easier to take and, therefore, more effective. Recently approved integrase inhibitors, which keep the virus from infecting new cells, and protease inhibitors, which prevent the virus from replicating in the first place, slow the spread of HIV in the body. The new drugs also help patients to stay healthier for longer periods of time. “The virus constantly remakes itself, meaning that drug regimens stop working eventually,” says Dr. Skiest. “New medications are doing a better job of keeping up,” he adds, “and now patients can be expected to live a fairly normal life.”
Dr. Skiest’s talk will incorporate his own research as well as cutting edge information from the XVI International AIDS conference that took place in Toronto in August of this year. Organized by the International AIDS Society, the conference yielded new recommendations for HIV testing, including optional testing and verbal rather than written consent. Over 26,000 conference participants from more than 170 countries discussed the continuing increase in infections among minorities and in the developing world, as well as the role of circumcision to prevent HIV. Dr. Skiest’s presentation will be of interest to persons living with HIV/AIDS, scientists, activists, policymakers, case managers and community caregivers who would like to learn about the latest trends in research and methods to manage HIV and treat AIDS.
This is the third presentation in the Autumn, 2006 series of forums organized by The Institute for Community Research and the Connecticut AIDS Education and Training Center with support from Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline and Boehringer Ingelheim. The Hartford HIV Forum meets from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m., on the second Tuesday of each month from September through June. The goal of the forums is to give the local community the most up-to-date information on current topics in AIDS prevention, treatment, research and care. To register for the forum, call the Institute for Community Research at 860-278-2044. For more information about the series, contact Kim Radda at The Institute for Community Research at 860-278-2044 X285.
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The Institute for Community Research is an independent, nonprofit organization that conducts applied research and community enhancement programs to promote equal access to health, education, and cultural resources. The Connecticut AIDS Education and Training Center trains providers with the goal of improving HIV clinical care through a grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (Federal Grant No. 1H4A HA 00050-AO). |
