WRI 2011 - Antiretroviral (ARV) Use in Women for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV Disease

The 2011 meeting of the WRI focused on the issues surrounding antiretroviral (ARV) use in women for the prevention and treatment of HIV disease. This theme was selected in order to encompass the broad range of interdisciplinary work that is both ongoing and necessary to effectively prevent and manage HIV disease in women. Although the development of an impressive range of effective ARV drugs has created the possibility of a chronic disease state, the realities of access, uptake, manageability, acceptability and long-term effectiveness prevent us from achieving this desired outcome. This makes it incumbent upon all stakeholders to take a more comprehensive approach to HIV research, including among women.

The 2011 Annual WRI Meeting took place from March 17-20 in Adairsville, GA with 22 members of the WRI participating (including representatives from clinical care, HIV research, academia, community-based organizations, government, the pharmaceutical industry and HIV-positive women), as well as guest speakers and invited experts. A list of the 2011 WRI Meeting members, speakers and participants can be found below.

Click the link below to view the Full Summary Report from the 2011 WRI Annual Meeting. We've also included links to brief interviews/testimonials from a few WRI participants about their experiences at the meeting and photos from the meeting.

• 2011 WRI Full Summary Report (1 MB)
• WRI Participant Perspective: Read what some participants had to say about the 2011 meeting and their experiences
• Photos from 2011 WRI Meeting: Day 1 and Day 2

WRI 2011 Meeting Approach and Speaker Presentations

To highlight the most critical research efforts and findings of the past year, invited expert speakers and WRI members presented their work on key topics in biologic, behavioral and social research in women and HIV. Each of these talks fueled rich discussion and often culminated in unique synthesis and perspective by the group.

Invited speakers and topics included:

• PrEP and Microbicides; Sharon Hillier, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of OB/Gyn/RS and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Reviewed recent and ongoing research into biomedical prevention with a focus on women; addressed implications for pregnancy; described the difference between options and choice for HIV prevention tools among women
• Biologic Correlates of Risk and Aging; Amie L. Meditz, MD, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado Denver. Evaluated the role of CCR5 and CD4 T-cells in HIV acquisition among post-menopausal women
• Contextualizing the WRI: Key Science and Policy Issues; Judith Auerbach, PhD, San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Described key current relevant science and policy factors, including recent biomedical prevention advances, National HIV/AIDS Strategy, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, federal HIV research funding
• Overview of Cohorts of HIV-infected Women and Girls; Monica Gandhi MD, MPH, Divisions of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Diseases; HIV Consult Service, University of California, San Francisco; presented by Gina Brown, MD, Office of AIDS Research, NIH. Described data generated by NIH cohorts, NIH-funded clinical trial cohorts and other cohorts from around the world

2011 WRI Meeting Participants

* 2011 WRI Executive Committee member