"'What other country in the world would give a poor Latino guy like me the opportunities I've had? It's unbelievable really. It makes me humble and it makes me proud,' the director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV-AIDS, said in an interview," writes Andre Picard in Canada's man of action ready for the world stage.
"Now he has a new job: president of the International AIDS Society, one of the most high-profile and politically charged positions in the medical world.
"In a fiery speech at the AIDS conference's closing ceremonies, Dr. Montaner called on the world to work more resolutely to combat the global epidemic of HIV-AIDS. Failure to do so, he said, is tantamount to a crime against humanity."
Dr. Julio Montaner answered your questions - on everything from his new role as president of the International AIDS Society to the latest in AIDS research to Canada's role in the fight against AIDS.
Dr. Julio Montaner (Henry Lin)
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Your questions and his answers appear at the bottom of this page.
Dr. Montaner is president of the International AIDS Society (IAS) and a professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver. Originally from Buenos Aires, he received his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires in 1979. In 1981, Dr. Montaner joined the University of British Columbia at St. Paul's Hospital (SPH) where he completed his training in internal medicine and respiratory medicine. In 1988, he became the Director of the AIDS Research Program and the Immunodeficiency Clinic at SPH/UBC. Since then, he has focused his research in the development of antiretroviral therapies and management strategies.
In the mid 90's, Dr. Montaner played a key role in establishing the efficacy of nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This was one of the pivotal contributions emerging from the IAS-sponsored Vancouver 1996 International AIDS Conference, of which he was a co-organizer. He has held the endowed chair in AIDS Research at SPH/UBC since 1996. Dr. Montaner is a founding co-director of the Canadian HIV Trials Network and is the director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. He has been a member of the Governing Council of the International AIDS Society since 1998. Dr. Montaner has authored over 350 scientific publications on HIV/AIDS. His current research interests include HAART as prevention, optimal use of HAART, salvage therapy, new antiretrovirals as well as hard to reach populations and harm reduction.
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Rasha Mourtada, Globe Life web editor: Dr. Montaner, thank you very much for taking reader questions. What is the reality of HIV-AIDS in Canada? Who is most affected by it and how is it spreading?
Julio Montaner: HIV remains a serious problem in Canada. While entirely preventable, HIV infection continues to spread throughout the country. Men who have sex with men and injection drug users continue to carry a large share of HIV/AIDS cases in Canada. However, the disease is also affecting individuals outside these groups. Of particular concern, HIV is increasingly recognized as a problem among First Nations people, the poor, and the homeless among others. For details regarding the state of the epidemic in Canada please click here .
