Course Spotlight: Strategies to end the HIV epidemic - NEW for 2020!
Description
This course will introduce the up-to-date key concepts and methodologies that are currently being implemented in the efforts to halt and end the HIV epidemic. Students will learn about the HIV care cascade that forms the basis of the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 targets to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Topics will revolve around understanding and responding to HIV epidemics using biobehavioural surveillance, HIV phylogenetics, targeted population research, HIV eradication, and HIV testing, treatment, and prevention interventions.
Course Directors
Chen Liang, PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine
Interim Director, McGill AIDS Centre
McGill University
Marina Klein, MDCM, MSc
Professor, Department of Medicine
McGill University
Content
The course’s main theme centres on how we can stop the HIV epidemic through the application of effective interventions, including the use of antiretroviral medications for prevention and treatment. Lectures will elucidate how the UNAIDS “90-90-90” targets can be best supported to achieve an end to the epidemic. Specifically, lectures will explore the tools, methods and resources that have been developed and implemented to respond to the HIV epidemic. Topics that will be discussed include the use of comprehensive HIV surveillance systems, including biobehavioural surveys, to monitor and understand the HIV epidemic, as well as HIV phylogenetics, mathematic modeling of HIV transmission, HIV cure and targeted population research. In addition, the key role of HIV testing technologies and HIV treatment and prevention strategies will be examined in depth. Students will have opportunities to visit the McGill AIDS Centre labs, observe onsite HIV isolation, viral genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.
Objectives
• Understand the HIV care cascade, the global targets to end HIV epidemic and how to measure success
• Identify the major barriers to success in reaching global targets
• Understand HIV biobehavioural surveillance as part of second generation surveillance
• Learn about phylogenetics to monitor HIV epidemic in real time
• Learn about HIV transmission in targeted populations
• Learn about the up-to-date HIV testing technologies, HIV treatment and prevention strategies
• Learn mathematic modeling and other research methods to understand HIV transmission and epidemic
• Learn the main HIV cure strategies aimed at eradicating HIV infection
More information about the course and registration
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