At the present time, nominations for CHARAC are being sought for:

• Clinical Research representative
• Health Services and Policy Research representative

Nominations for the CBR Steering Committee are being sought for:

• HIV/AIDS Aboriginal Stream researcher representative
• HIV/AIDS General Stream CBR community representative

Nominations should include a brief (250 word) rationale for the nomination and a short biographical sketch or curriculum vitae. The rationale should make reference to qualifications, expertise, previous contributions to the HIV/AIDS response and the perspective that the nominee will bring to the work of the Committee. Contact information for both the nominator and the nominee(s) must be included with the nomination documents. Please be sure to clearly indicate to which committee the nomination is being submitted.

For complete information, please visit: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/34528.html

Deadline for receipt of nominations is Friday, May 18, 2012

Nominations should be addressed to:

Simone Marcantonio

Project Officer

CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative

CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity

160 Elgin St., 9th Floor

Address Locator 4809A

Ottawa, ON K1A 0W9

E-mail: simone.marcantonio@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

The Canadian Association for HIV Research (CAHR) is the professional organization for HIV and AIDS research in Canada or by Canadians. CAHR includes all researchers, and all disciplines of the scientific approaches to HIV and AIDS, for the purpose of its better prevention and treatment and ultimately for its eradication and cure.

Summary: The CAHR Project Coordinator would assist in the planning, coordination and implementation of various projects aimed to achieve CAHR’s mandate. Working under the leadership of the CAHR Executive Director, the Coordinator would be called upon to set up workshops, oversee the work of contractors and write, update and edit articles, presentations and newsletters.

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Science, Communications, or other related field

Experience: Experience in the following areas would be considered an asset:

• In initiating, developing, and executing projects plans
• In organizing workshops/meetings
• In producing educational and communications products
• In writing and updating web content
• In preparing reports, updates and analysis
• In negotiating service contracts and overseeing contractors
• In budget administration
• Familiarity with the HIV/AIDS and health research fields

How to apply: To apply, please send a full CV  to info@cahr-acrv.ca together with a supporting statement, highlighting your experience and skills, to CAHR Executive Director Selection Committee, by April 26, 2012. All applications will be acknowledged.

Ottawa (March 22, 2012) — Organizers of the 21st Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research – to be held in Montreal from April 19 to 22 – officially announced the conference theme and research programme today. The conference, which will bring together more than 800 of Canada’s top scientists, physicians and community leaders, will include five major plenary presentations focusing on the paramount issues facing the global HIV/AIDS response.

The theme of this year’s Conference is “A Turning Point in the Fight against HIV: Meeting New Challenges”. Thirty years after the first reported case of AIDS, the epidemic has now reached a turning point. Due to the availability of effective antiretroviral drugs, Canadians are now living longer with the virus, and thus are exposed to long-term drug toxicities. As HIV infection becomes more like a chronic illness, there is a growing complacency among the general population and thus a greater need for prevention strategies.

“We chose this year’s theme to recognize a defining moment in the epidemic,” said conference co-chair Jean-Pierre Routy, Professor of Medicine, McGill University. “For the first time we have started to curb the HIV epidemic, representing the turning point in the global response to control the infection.”

“Vulnerable populations in Canada such as injection drug users, women, gay men, and Aboriginals are still facing unanswered challenges to improve their quality of life,” noted conference co-chair Dr. Pierre Côté, Clinique médicale du Quartier Latin and the Center hospitalier de l’université de Montréal. “We need to overcome the emotional, social, and financial barriers to lessen the epidemic in these hard-to-reach populations.”

This year’s programme will present new scientific knowledge on the major issues facing the global response to HIV. Featured plenary sessions will be:

• Mark A. Wainberg Lecture: “The riddle of the HIV-resistant sex workers: Critical role of innate mucosal immunity”, Dr. Kenneth Rosenthal, McMaster University;
• Clinical Sciences: “NeuroAIDS-a view from the clinic and laboratory”, Dr. Christopher Power, University of Alberta;
• Social Sciences: “Stopping the Epidemic: A Challenge for the Humanities and the Social Sciences”, Dr. Bruno Spire, INSERM (France);
• Basic Sciences: “Defining the interaction of HIV and the mucosal barriers exposed during sexual transmission”, Dr. Thomas Hope, Northwestern University (Chicago); and
• Epidemiology and Public Health: “Global landscape of HIV diagnostics”, Dr. Rosanna Peeling, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK).

“CAHR 2012 will be a tremendous opportunity for researchers and community members from coast to coast to share the latest scientific advances in the field, learn from one another’s expertise, and develop new ways to treat and prevent HIV,” said Jonathan Angel, CAHR President and Professor of Medicine, University of Ottawa.

In addition, a roundtable discussion on the Origins of HIV Transmission will be led by Dr. Jacques Pépin (Universite de Sherbrooke) and world renowned researcher Dr. Mark Wainberg (McGill University). Dr. Pepin’s 2011 book “The Origins of AIDS” took a controversial look at the history of HIV/AIDS, tracing not only the current outbreak, but also looking at earlier outbreaks perhaps dating to the 1920s and 1930s. Finally, Dr. Peter Ford will lead a panel discussion on “HIV in Canadian Corrections Facilities”. Dr. Ford is Emeritus Professor Medicine at Queen’s University and practicing HIV medicine at Kingston General Hospital and area federal prisons.

It is estimated that 34 million people are living with AIDS, of which 2.3 million are children most of whom are in sub-Saharan Africa. In Canada, HIV remains a pressing issue with an estimated 2300 to 4300 new infections each year, with certain populations over-represented in the epidemic.

About CAHR

The Canadian Association for HIV Research (CAHR) is the professional organization for HIV/AIDS research in Canada and by Canadians. CAHR is composed of researchers in all disciplines of HIV/AIDS science, for the purpose of improving prevention and treatment with an ultimate goal of eradication and cure. The annual CAHR conference is the premier gathering in Canada for those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic.  For more information on CAHR visit: www.cahr-acrv.ca

See conference website at: http://www.cahr-conference-acrv.ca and a detailed overview of conference speakers at: http://www.cahr-conference-acrv.ca/KeynoteSpeakers.html

Accreditation http://www.cahr-conference-acrv.ca/register.html#Media

Contacts:

Erin Love, Conference Media Coordinator

Email: elove@Ottawahospital.on.ca

Andrew Matejcic, Executive Director, CAHR

Email: Andrew.Matejcic@cahr-acrv.ca

The Canadian Association for HIV Research is pleased to announce that the CAHR New HIV Researcher Workshop will be held once again this year during the CAHR conference. This skills based workshop is designed to focus on all four tracks (Basic Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Epidemiology and Public Health, Social Sciences).

Sessions include the following:

• CIHR 101

• Getting Funding for your Research

• Mentorship / Career Development

• And more!

Graduate students, doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, medical students/interns/ residents, trainees and other new HIV researchers are encouraged to register. If space becomes limited, registration priority will be given to these groups.

Following the workshop, we will have an evening social to get to know other new investigators in a fun and informal setting – location to be announced soon.

To register and for more information visit: http://www.cahr-conference-acrv.ca/newhivresearcherworksop.html

CROI 2012

The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) is a scientifically focused meeting of the world’s leading researchers working to understand, prevent, and treat HIV/AIDS and its complications. The goal of CROI is to provide a forum for translating laboratory and clinical research into progress against the AIDS epidemic. Over 4,000 leading researchers and clinicians from around the world convene in a different location each year for the Conference. This year’s conference will take place from March 5-8, 2012 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, Washington. For more information visit: http://retroconference.org/2012

The Keystone Symposium on Frontiers in HIV Pathogenesis, Therapy and Eradication

Part of the Keystone Symposia Global Health Series The Keystone Symposium on Frontiers in HIV Pathogenesis, Therapy and Eradication will be held in Whistler, BC, from March 26-31, 2012. More information can be found on the Keystone Symposia website: http://www.keystonesymposia.org/Meetings/viewMeetings.cfm?MeetingID=1166

Annual Meeting of the American Society for Virology

The American Society for Virology (ASV) invites you to participate in the 31st Annual Meeting to be hosted and held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, July 21 – 25, 2012. For more information visit: http://conferencing.uwex.edu/conferences/asv2012/

XIX International AIDS Conference

The International AIDS Conference is the premier gathering for those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic. This year’s conference will be in Washington, DC, July 22-27, 2012. Registration is now open:  http://www.aids2012.org/Default.aspx?pageId=305

Call for Abstracts: Aging in a Changing World, October 18-20, 2012, Vancouver, BC

The Canadian Association on Gerontology (CAG) is part of a national committee with HIV/AIDS organizations in Canada to help bridge the HIV and gerontology sectors. To raise awareness of issues related to HIV and aging,they would like to encourage HIV and aging-related content at their annual conference, taking place this year in Vancouver, October 18-20, 2012. The theme is “Aging in a Changing World,” which is quite relevant to timely issues like aging with HIV and HIV prevention for older adults. They invite you to submit your abstracts (deadline: April 2, 2012) and/or to join them at the conference, Canada’s preeminent multidisciplinary scientific meeting inthe field of aging. For more information about the CAG and the conference, please visit http://www.cagacg.ca.   Also visit their website to read about a special offer for new members.