About IAS 2015

The 8th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2015) will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre on 19-22 July 2015 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This biennial forum is the largest open scientific conference on HIV/AIDS related issues and is expected to gather some 6,000 delegates from across the globe.

IAS 2015 will be a unique opportunity for all those involved in the global response to HIV, including scientists, clinicians, public health experts, community leaders, and media professionals, to meet and examine the latest scientific developments in HIV-related research, and explore how such developments can be realistically applied in implementation programmes.

IAS 2015 is organized by the International AIDS Society (IAS), in partnership with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Division of AIDS, based at St. Paul’s Hospital, Providence Health Care. The Division was created in 2007 to bring together, enhance and expand the research, training, service delivery and administration that have evolved over the last two decades within the UBC Department of Medicine and Providence Health Care.

For more information, click here to go to the IAS 2015 website

News

IAS HIV-AIDS conference in Vancouver comes at critical point

17 July 2015

Nearly 35 years after HIV-AIDS first emerged on the world stage, more than 6,000 international experts are gathering in Vancouver this weekend to chart a path to eliminate the global pandemic by 2030.

International experts converge in Vancouver for world's largest HIV/AIDS conference

17 July 2015

Over 6,000 international HIV/AIDS experts will converge next week at the eighth International AIDS Society Conference, the first time the conference has been held in Vancouver in 19 years.

IAS 2015 programme

The entire IAS 2015 programme is now available online through the Programme-at-a-Glance (PAG).

See programme

World’s top HIV/AIDS researchers converge on Vancouver

16 July 2015

UBC and the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) will welcome more than 6,000 of the world’s leading HIV/AIDS experts to Vancouver next week. Researchers, clinicians, community leaders and public health experts will examine the latest scientific developments in HIV research at the 8th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment & Prevention.

Pre-Conference Workshop

UN 90-90-90 Target Workshop: Lessons from the Field

In follow up to the successful launch of the new UN 90-90-90 Target for HIV treatment last year at UNGASS, a strong global consensus has emerged in its support as a key step towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Given this momentum, we are organizing a pre-conference workshop to be held in Vancouver prior to the start of the IAS 2015 Conference.

Canada Commits Nearly C$400,000; Hosts 8th Biennial IAS Conference on Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention

10 June 2015

10 June 2015, Geneva, Switzerland - The International AIDS Society (IAS) announced today that the Government of Canada, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) , ha s committed almost C$400,000 in funding for the 8th biennial IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2015) that will be held in Vancouver, Canada from 19 - 22 July 2015.

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Leading HIV Experts to Present Cutting Edge HIV Science in Vancouver IAS announces plenary line-up for 8th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2015)

13 February 2015

3 February 2015, (Geneva, Switzerland) — The International AIDS Society today announced the 12 plenary presentations that will lead the 8 th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2015) held in Vancouver, Canada from 19-22 July 2015. This year’s conference, hosted in partnership with the University of British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, is expected to bring together more than 6,000 participants from over 125 countries.

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BC-CfE at IAS 2015

Videos

Photos

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Bios

 BC-CfE Profile

Julio Montaner, OC, OBC, MD, FRCPC, FCCP

Dr. Montaner received his MD with Honours in 1979 at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1981, he joined the University of British Columbia as a post-doctoral fellow, completed a residency in Internal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine and was Chief Resident for the Department of Medicine in 1986/1987.

In 1987 Dr. Montaner joined the Faculty at St. Paul's Hospital/University of British Columbia as the Director of the AIDS Research Program and the Infectious Disease Clinic. He held a National Health Research Scholar of Health Canada (NHRDP) for a period of 10 years starting in 1988. He is a founding co-Director of the Canadian HIV Trials Network. He has held the Endowed Chair on AIDS Research at SPH/UBC since 1996. In 1997, he was appointed Professor of Medicine at UBC. He is the Director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. He was the President of the International AIDS Society from 2008-2010 and currently is the Local Co-Chair of the 8th IAS Conference on hIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention which will be held in Vancouver July 19-22, 2015. Recently, he has been assigned the position of Global Advisor on HIV Therapeutics to the Executive Director of the United Nations AIDS Programme.

 UNAIDS Profile

Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director

Since his appointment as Executive Director of UNAIDS and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2009, Michel Sidibé’s vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths has echoed around the world.

Under his leadership UNAIDS works to ensure that no one is left behind in the response to HIV and that everyone in need has access to life-saving HIV services. He initiated the global call to eliminate HIV infections among children and his global advocacy has firmly secured HIV at the top of political agendas. His idea of shared responsibility and global solidarity has been embraced by the international community and has encouraged increased ownership of their epidemics by countries most affected.

 NIH Profile

Dr. Nora Volkow

Nora D. Volkow, M.D., became Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health in May 2003. NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction.

Dr. Volkow’s work has been instrumental in demonstrating that drug addiction is a disease of the human brain. As a research psychiatrist and scientist, Dr. Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate the toxic effects and addictive properties of abusable drugs. Her studies have documented changes in the dopamine system affecting, among others, the functions of frontal brain regions involved with motivation, drive, and pleasure in addiction. She has also made important contributions to the neurobiology of obesity, ADHD, and aging.

 US Department of State Profile

Deborah L. Birx, M.D.P

U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator & U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy
Ambassador-at-Large, Deborah L. Birx, M.D., is the Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. Ambassador Birx is a world-renowned medical expert and leader in the field of HIV/AIDS. Her three-decade-long career has focused on HIV/AIDS immunology, vaccine research, and global health. As the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Birx oversees the implementation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history, as well as all U.S. Government engagement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Serving as the U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, she aligns the U.S. Government’s diplomacy with foreign assistance programs that address global health challenges and accelerate progress toward: achieving an AIDS-free generation; ending preventable child and maternal deaths; and preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious disease threats.

 UNAIDS Profile

Luiz Loures, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme

Luiz Loures joined UNAIDS in 1996 and was appointed Deputy Executive Director of Programme and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations in January 2013. He leads UNAIDS’ efforts in leveraging critical support to countries to meet the 2015 global AIDS targets and establish a sustainable response to AIDS.

Dr Loures is a medical doctor with nearly 30 years’ experience in the AIDS response. His engagement ranges from providing medical care to people living with HIV in the early days of the epidemic––to his dynamic involvement in global policy framework development. In 2006, Dr Loures was granted the Make a Difference Award for his long-standing contribution to the global response to AIDS by O Globo, one of Brazil’s largest newspapers.

Zunyou Wu, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D.

Zunyou Wu, MD, PhD is Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology in UCLA Schools of Public Health, and Director of the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Wu is also consultant for UNAIDS and WHO for global response to HIV/AIDS. He serves as the Program Director of the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center ICOHRTA AIDS/TB program in China.

Dr. Fabio Mesquita

Director of the Department of STDs, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis
Dr. Fábio Mesquita graduated in medicine at the State University of Londrina, obtained a doctoral degree in Public Health from the University of São Paulo, and is an AIDS specialist. He also has experience in the field of public health with a focus on managing the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS) and its STDs/AIDS programs, as well as national drug policies in Brazil and around the world.

On July 8th, Mesquita became the director of the Department of STDs, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis – this is his third time working for the Ministry of Health. From 1992 to 1994, he headed the Prevention Technical Unit of the National STDs/AIDS Coordinating Committee.