July 26, 2017
Written by International AIDS Society
This press release originally appeared on IAS’s website.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, 26 July 2017
(Paris, France) — Leadership in HIV research and efforts to improve access to HIV prevention and treatment were recognized through prizes and awards presented at the 9th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2017). The IAS and its partners presented prizes for outstanding research in HIV, including exceptional research by young investigators; grants and fellowships to support promising new investigators in paediatric HIV; and awards recognizing outstanding efforts to improve access to HIV care and reduce stigma for key populations.
“Science is the backbone of the global HIV response. The IAS and our partners are committed to recognizing, fostering and promoting that excellence in HIV research,” said IAS President Linda-Gail Bekker. “These awards present a model and benchmark for researchers everywhere, and support the next generation of investigators whose work can help to change the course of this epidemic.”
A number of prizes recognize outstanding research presented at IAS 2017 by young investigators, and/or investigators working in particular fields of study including HIV cure research, the interplay of HIV and tuberculosis or research into aspects of the epidemic that impact women and girls. Among the recipients of these prizes are:
Presented by: Raymonde Goudou Coffie (Ministre de la Santé et de l’Hygiène Publique, Côte d’Ivoire)
The Women, Girls and HIV Investigator’s Prize supports a young investigator from a resource-limited setting whose abstract demonstrates excellence in research and/or practices that address women, girls and gender issues related to HIV and AIDS. The $2,000 prize is offered by IAS and UNAIDS, and supported by the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) and the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW). The Women, Girls and HIV Investigator’s Prize at IAS 2017 is awarded to:
Presented by Anton Pozniak (IAS) and Haileyesus Getahun (WHO)
The two $1,000 IAS TB/HIV Research Prizes are awarded to generate interest and stimulate research on basic, clinical and operational issues in TB/HIV prevention, care and treatment. The prizes are awarded to the two top scoring abstracts in the areas of TB/HIV co-infection and the operational effectiveness of TB/HIV collaborative services.
The IAS TB/HIV Research Prizes at IAS 2017 are awarded to:
Presented by Deborah Birx (U.S. Department of State)
The IAS Me and My Healthcare Provider campaign, part of the IAS Nobody Left Behind initiative, focuses on the needs of key populations affected by HIV – men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender people, sex workers and people who inject drugs – and on the efforts of dedicated healthcare providers to increase access to care for these individuals, often in the face of discriminatory laws, traditions and beliefs. Members of key populations nominate care providers who are doing an outstanding job in overcoming these obstacles to providing high quality HIV prevention, treatment and care. The champions of the Me and My Healthcare Provider Awards at IAS 2017 are:
Presented by Linda-Gail Bekker (IAS) and François Dabis (ANRS)
Named in honor of Joep Lange and Jacqueline van Tongeren, the four $2,000 Lange-van Tongeren Young Investigator Prizes are jointly funded by the IAS and the France Recherche Nord & Sud Sida-HIV Hépatites (ANRS), and are awarded to the top-scoring abstract in each of the four conference tracks with a presenting author under 35 years of age. The Lange-van Tongeren Prize for Young Investigators at IAS 2017 are awarded to:
Presented by Linda-Gail Bekker (IAS), François Dabis (ANRS) and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (Dominique Dormont Association)
The $5,000 IAS-ANRS Dominique Dormont prize is funded by the Dominique Dormont Association to support young researchers working on chronic health conditions, with a particular focus on the interface between HIV and other chronic diseases. The prize recognizes researchers who demonstrate originality, rationale, quality and a multidisciplinary and integrative approach in the field of HIV and AIDS research.
The IAS-ANRS Dominique Prize was awarded to Maria Salgado, Spain for her abstract “Achievement of Full Donor Chimerism with Episodes of Alloreactivity Contributes to Reduce the HIV Reservoir After Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation.”
Presented by Deborah Waterhouse (ViiV Healthcare)
Presented by the IAS and its partner, ViiV Healthcare, the £100,000 IAS and ViiV Healthcare Combating Stigma & Discrimination in Healthcare Settings Award recognizes solutions that reduce stigma and discrimination against key populations in healthcare settings, leading to increased uptake of primary prevention options and Voluntary Counselling and Testing, and/or reduction in Loss to Follow Up through retention in care. The recipients of the 2017 IAS/ViiV Healthcare Award are:
Doan Thanh Tung, Director of Lighthouse Social Enterprise, and Le Minh Thanh, Director of G-Link Vietnam, for their innovative efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination in Vietnam: zero discrimination and violence to zero HIV.
Presented by Linda-Gail Bekker (IAS)
The IAS Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research (CIPHER) provides research grants of up to $150,000 each over two years to support critically important research by early-stage investigators working to advance the diagnosis, treatment and care of infants, children and adolescents affected by HIV in resource-limited settings. The winners of the 2017 CIPHER research grants, selected as the most innovative and promising study proposals received from applicants from 30 countries, are:
Presented by Linda-Gail Bekker (IAS)
CIPHER’s new Growing the Leaders of Tomorrow Fellowship Programme strengthens paediatric HIV clinical research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa by providing promising early-stage investigators with two year, $70,000 research fellowships, and by supporting their connections with internationally renowned mentors to help guide their investigations in paediatric HIV. Recipients of the first Growing the Leaders of Tomorrow Fellowships, selected from applicants from 7 countries, include:
“The IAS and its partners congratulate the outstanding researchers, service providers and advocates receiving awards at IAS 2017,” said IAS President Linda-Gail Bekker. “Their exceptional efforts provide an example to everyone working in the global HIV response.”