HIV/AIDS Communiqué - Volume 9, Number 1 - 2010

Table of Contents

• AIDS 2010
• Update from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

AIDS 2010 - Government of Canada Engagement in the XVIII International AIDS Conference, Vienna, Austria, July 18 to 23, 2010

The XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) will be held in
Vienna, Austria, from July 18 to 23, 2010. The conference will bring together an estimated 25,000 participants to exchange ideas, research plans and findings, and best practices in ongoing efforts to build capacity and to effect change in the global response to HIV/AIDS.

Under the theme, Rights Here, Rights Now!, AIDS 2010 will renew the urgent call
for action, emphasizing the principles of human rights; equal access to health care, prevention and treatment; and investments in evidence-based approaches to succeed
in addressing HIV/AIDS (www.aids2010.org).

The conference will also review progress towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals, including universal access to treatment for those who need it (2010) and halting and reversing the spread of HIV (2015). In addition, country progress reports submitted to the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS will support dialogue on best practices and next step actions needed for domestic and global responses to HIV and related issues.

The Government of Canada remains an active supporter of AIDS 2010 in reducing the negative impact of HIV/AIDS globally and domestically by addressing the needs of key vulnerable groups and in signalling Canada’s technical scientific and research expertise in support of both the domestic and global response.

The AIDS 2010 Federal Secretariat, led by Health Canada’s International Affairs Directorate, is coordinating the Government of Canada’s engagement. Government representatives – Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Correctional Service of Canada – will support a variety of activities, including satellite sessions, bilateral meetings with domestic and global stakeholders, and the delivery of scientific, technical and policy-based abstract presentations.

The Government of Canada is also providing funding to national HIV organizations to support knowledge exchange and expertise in addressing HIV in Canada and abroad. Non-governmental organizations and government jurisdictions are collaboratively developing the Canada Exhibition Space – the Canada Booth – which will showcase

Canadian efforts to address HIV/AIDS and its related issues including, but not limited to, efforts across government jurisdictions, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations and the research community. The Booth will provide an opportunity for global counterparts to explore Canada-wide responses to HIV/AIDS through a video display, web-based interactive products, proactive media products, as well as through face-to-face discussions with Canadian delegates on site.

For more information, please contact Sharon Peake, Policy Advisor, HIV/AIDS, International Affairs Directorate, Health Canada (sharon.peake@hc-sc.gc.ca) or Patricia Hurd, Senior Policy Analyst, HIV/AIDS Policy, Coordination and Programs Division, Public Health Agency of Canada (patricia.hurd@phac-aspc.gc.ca).

Update from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Appointment of New Scientific Director

In January 2010, Dr. Marc Ouellette joined the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) as the new Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III).

Dr. Ouellette is a Full Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University and a researcher at the university’s Infectious Disease Research Centre in Quebec City. He holds a Canada Research Chair in Antimicrobial Resistance.

Dr. Ouellette is highly committed to delivering on the mandate of the Institute of Infection and Immunity and continuing the strong III tradition of consulting regularly with the infection and immunity community. As Scientific Director of III, Dr. Ouellette will provide leadership for the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative in the years ahead.

For further information on the Institute of Infection and Immunity and Dr. Ouellette, please visit the III website, at http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/41190.html.

Results from the Community-Based Research Program Funding Competition

The CIHR HIV/AIDS Community-Based Research (CBR) Program assists community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations and institutions in developing the knowledge necessary to carry out HIV/AIDS work effectively, and in creating expertise within these communities to conduct their own research. In the most recent competition of the CBR Program, 12 projects across Canada received funding, including the following:

• Promising Practices in the Engagement of People Living With or At Risk For HIV/AIDS in Rural Canada
• Involving People Living with HIV/AIDS in Training Medical Students in HIV Counselling and Testing
• Assessing the Measurement Properties of an Instrument to Describe Disability Experienced by Adults Living with HIV
• The Burden of HIV/AIDS in Nunavik

In total, these projects represent a total investment of $2.2 million over their lifespan.

For more information on the funded projects and on the CIHR HIV/AIDS CBR Program, please contact Suzette Dos Santos, by telephone at 613-941-4464, or by e-mail, at suzette.dossantos@cihr-irsc.gc.ca. Results of CIHR funding competitions can be viewed on the CIHR website, at http://www.cihr.ca/e/196.html.

New CIHR Survey to be Launched on Co-Morbidities in HIV/AIDS

Since the launch of the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative Strategic Plan in 2008, the Initiative has conducted consultations and developed strategic research funding programs to address a variety of identified research priority areas. The priority area of Issues of co-infection and co-morbidity will be the focus of strategic initiative development in 2010.

To ensure an ongoing consultative approach to strategic initiative development, the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative wishes to consult a wide range of stakeholders regarding their concerns and priorities related to HIV/AIDS and co-morbidities. This will be accomplished through an electronic survey and key informant interviews. Beginning in May 2010, the electronic survey will be available on the CIHR website and all stakeholders are invited to share their thoughts and ideas regarding co-morbidities in HIV/AIDS and related research programs.

We want to hear from you! Please visit the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative website for further information on the survey, at http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/34528.html.

CIHR Research Funding Opportunities

The CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative develops and supports a variety of HIV/AIDS research programs that promote Canadian research and build research capacity to increase our understanding of HIV and to develop effective responses. The list of new research funding opportunities led or supported by the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative will be announced in June 2010.

For more information on CIHR funding opportunities, please view http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/780.html.

For more information on the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative, please contact HIVAIDS-VIHSIDA@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.