News Archive

The Academy of Science of South Africa recently released a report on the Diversity in Human Sexuality. Please click here to read the report.

The allocation for HIV research is up for discussion on the Hill.  Republican members in both the House and the Senate have challenged the 10 percent allocation for HIV research. Read more if interested in signing and sharing a letter of support with your research networks. 

The White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) is inviting the pulic to share their ideas, feedback and recommendations for updating the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).

On 5/12/2015 FDA issued a draft guidance,"Revised Recommendations for Reducing the Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission by Blood and Blood Products", to recommend a change in the blood donor deferral period for men who have sex with men (MSM) from indefinite deferral to one year since the last sexual contact with another man.

Leading HIV and Hepatitis C Treatment Expert Murray Penner Named New Executive Director.

OVERCOMING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN THE BAY AREA: FOCUS ON HIV & HCV
February 3, 2015 - UCSF Laurel Heights Auditorium

Opening & Conference Goals
Veronica Miller, Forum for Collaborative HIV Research
Paul Volberding, University of California, San Francisco-Gladstone Center For AIDS Research

Keynote Address
Phill Wilson, Black AIDS Institute

SESSION 1: BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

Moderators: Carmen Portillo, University of California, San Francisco
Sheri Weiser, University of California, San Francisco

A convergence of risk: The association between homelessness, food insecurity, and HIV risk behaviors in Oakland, CA.
Monica Chowdary, University of California, Berkeley

Identifying the complex care and treatment needs of African American men who have sex with men and women (AAMSMW) and who are living with HIV: Lessons from Bruthas Cohort.
Emily Arnold, University of California, San Francisco, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies 

Structural barriers to vocational rehabilitation outcomes with HIV-positive persons.
Walter Gomez, University of California, San Francisco

Social, structural, and behavioral determinants of overall health status among HIV-infected unstably housed men.
Elise Riley, University of California, San Francisco

SESSION 2: INTERSECTIONS AND SYNDEMICS
Moderator: Andrew Reynolds, Project Inform

Criminal justice involvement, HIV, HCV, and health among people who inject drugs or smoke crack cocaine in Oakland, CA, 2011-2013.
Alex Kral, RTI International

Characteristics and predictors of naloxone recipients, refillers, and reversals in a community-based naloxone distribution program.
Christopher Rowe, University of California, Berkeley

Herding Birds – The recruitment and retention of a highly disenfranchised population.
Caycee Cullen, University of California, San Francisco

Reduced access to gender affirmation is associated with increased drug, alcohol, and hormone abuse among transgender women; “I am not a man”: Disaggregating transgender women from MSM in PrEP research is imperative to improve HIV prevention efforts.
Jae Sevelius, University of California, San Francisco, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies 

Using Twitter as a survey of alcohol use in the S.F. Bay Area.
Nathan Kim, University of California, Berkeley

SESSION 3: PREVENTION AND BARRIERS  TO TESTING
Moderator: Veronica Miller, Forum for Collaborative HIV Research

Rapid hepatitis C screening and diagnostic testing in an urban emergency department
Douglas White, Alameda Health System-Highland Hospital 

Acceptability of a mobile phone based hepatitis C intervention at an urban community social services center.
Jacob Levine, University of California, San Francisco

Patient misunderstanding of HIV and hepatitis C testing in an emergency department with an integrated public health screening program.
Erik Anderson, Alameda Health System-Highland Hospital

Nursing barriers with implementation of a public health screening program in an urban emergency department.
Virat Madia, Alameda Health System-Highland Hospital

Reaching women through their HIV-positive male partners: The PRO Men Initiative.
Shannon Weber, University of California, San Francisco, Bay Area Perinatal AIDS Center

Fighting HIV stigma through Photovoice: An innovative tool for patient education and empowerment.
Monica Hahn, University of California, San Francisco, Bay Area Perinatal AIDS Center

Special Session: The Role of Community Voices in A Changing Research Landscape

Moderators: E. Maxwell Davis, California State University, East Bay
Sandi McCoy, University of California, Berkeley
Ifeoma Udoh, Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation
Panelists: David Carter, CRUSH Project CAB
Nadji Dawkins, CRUSH Project CAB

SESSION 4: TREATMENT LINKAGE AND OUTCOMES
Moderator: Michael Silverberg, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research

Differences in response to antiretroviral therapy by sex and hepatitis C infection status.
Julia Marcus, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research

The continuum of HIV care in Alameda County, California.
Richard Lechtenberg, Alameda County Public Health Department

The policy implications of differences in HIV-positive Californians’ capacity to access and maintain private health insurance through the assistance of California’s Office of AIDS Health Insurance Premium Payment Program (OA-HIPP).
Valerie Kirby, University of California, San Francisco, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies

Geospatial analysis of HIV prevalence & population characteristics in Santa Clara County.
Jennifer Lin, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center - PACE Clinic

Screening and treatment for HCV in HIV co-infected patients in primary care.
Amanda Hutton Parrott, University of California, San Francisco

Piloting hepatitis C treatment in the Mission District.
Jennifer Huggans, Mission Neighborhood Health Center

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Perceived barriers to HCV testing by first-generation Myanmar immigrants.
Aung Win, Notre Dame de Namur University

The 2nd Conference on Overcoming Health Disparities in the Bay Area: Focus on HIV and HCV has been condensed down to one day, February 3. 

For additional information please visit www.hivforum.org/healthdisparities2

Currently, a bill is moving through the Michigan state legislature which would expand the current law criminalizing non-disclosure of HIV status with a sexual partner to include hepatitis C. NVHR is collaborating with the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance, the Positive Justice Project, and Michigan advocates to show the support of national organizations for the state's hepatitis C and HIV advocates who are trying to stop this bill in its tracks.

Please consider signing your organization on to the letter to Michigan State Senate and House leadership, to send a message that we stand united with Michiganders in our view that criminalization of people living with hepatitis C and HIV is wrong.

To sign on, please email Christine Rodriguez at crodriguez at nvhr.org by COB Friday, December 12, 2014. This initial letter is for national organizations only, but we are collecting sign-ons from all organizations to use in future efforts. If there are additional opportunities for local organizations outside of Michigan to weigh in, NVHR will reach out.

To read the letter, please click here.

Shared on behalf of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (PIDS), the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) and the Center for Global Health Policy, please see their joint statement opposing quarantine for asymptomatic healthcare personnel travelling from West Africa  The full statement can be downloaded here.