Shanti's HIV Health Counselor at the 2014 AIDS Clinical Trials Group Network Meeting in DC

Derrick Mapp, HIV Health Counselor at Shanti, attended the 2014 AIDS Clinical Trials Group Network Meeting for a week this June in DC. The meeting is a full scientific meeting for the entire network. It included training sessions for site personnel, major findings from ACTG studies, future directions for the network, and the various administrative, scientific, and resource committees meet to discuss the status of developing, ongoing, and completed protocols and/or other network activities.

Derrick was elected to the CSS (Community Scientific Committee), which is a subcommittee of the GCAB and represents community members from local advisory boards across the globe that provide input into research being done in their communities. The CSS provide community input directly into developing studies with the research team until the study closes. Derrick is currently participating in two studies under development – one looking at a novel treatment approach and one looking at a new medication for those who are co-infection with HCV/HIV. He also serve as the community representative for the Protocol Development subcommittee.

There are a number of interesting directions researchers are moving into – there is growing interest in the neurocognitive effects of HIV disease as well as the immune dysfunction that causes persistent/chronic inflammation and, somewhat controversially, the role of exercise on the inflammatory process in HIV. There are a number of co-infection studies with HIV including TB, malaria, HCV and HBV. These are often studies more involved with the international sites.

Even more controversially there is renewed interest in short term treatment interruption in order to introduce new treatments that potentially control the virus better with fewer side effects. According to Derrick, there is amazing community work being done regarding Women and inclusion and Under served populations in HIV research. This has been one of the major successes for community members of the ACTG because of its acceptance by the leadership of its findings.

Derrick also took the opportunity to network with other advocates across the country, and the world.  They held a meeting with our sister site from Zimbabwe as they continue to develop their CAB into more active advocacy for community involvement in research in their country. They spoke about the struggles in terms of basic resources that the average person deals with and the added struggles with being HIV positive.

Derrick says, "each day is a full and satisfying day of meetings, workshops, networking and reports and evaluations."