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Home / Resources / STI Updates (Blog) / Uncategorized / Upcoming webinar: Implementing the “early” HIV test in Vancouver

Upcoming webinar: Implementing the “early” HIV test in Vancouver

On Tuesday, March 1st (10:00 AM PST), Drs. Mark Gilbert and Daniel Grace will give a webinar on “Implementing the ‘early’ HIV test in Vancouver: from acute diagnosis to undetectable identity”.

Topic

What is the impact of “early” HIV testing and diagnosis on the lives of gay men? From 2009 to 2013, the CIHR Team in the Study of Acute HIV Infection in Gay Men set out to explore this question using a new HIV testing technology that can detect HIV very early after infection.

Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAAT) reduces the window period for HIV, allowing earlier diagnosis and treatment at a time where HIV is more likely to be transmitted. Access to pooled NAAT is an important public health intervention for gay men, leading to more frequent testing, earlier diagnosis and changes in behaviour.

Data from interviews, questionnaires and HIV testing were used to understand how this new testing technology affected the lived experiences of gay men diagnosed with early or recent infections, as well as gay men who tested HIV-negative.

Register for this webinar to learn more about the results of this study.

Presenters

Dr. Mark Gilbert is a community medicine specialist and the director of the Applied Epidemiology Unit at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, where he leads the Ontario HIV Epidemiology and Surveillance Initiative. Mark’s research areas of interest include testing for HIV and other STIs, internet-based approaches to sexual health promotion, sexual health literacy and gay men’s sexual health. 

Dr. Daniel Grace is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Daniel is a sociologist who conducts research related to the social determinants of health, HIV and STI prevention strategies, and the sexual health of gay men.