ViiV HEALTHCARE AND THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF HIV MEDICINE ANNOUNCE FELLOWSHIP TO IMPROVE HIV PREVENTION IN KEY COMMUNITIES
- The Dr. Dawn K. Smith HIV Prevention Clinical Fellowship will provide expert training from the American Academy of HIV Medicine to help U.S. healthcare providers empower, educate, and improve equitable access to PrEP among key populations.
London, 5 March 2024 – Today, ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GSK, with Pfizer and Shionogi as shareholders, and the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) jointly announced the launch of The Dr. Dawn K. Smith HIV Prevention Clinical Fellowship. The fellowship will provide comprehensive HIV training to non-infectious disease clinicians serving communities disproportionately affected by HIV. The fellowship was announced at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2024), one of the world’s largest convenors of the HIV scientific and medical community, in Denver, Colorado.
Bruce J. Packett, II, Executive Director at the American Academy of HIV Medicine, said: “The HIV epidemic continues to disproportionately affect communities of colour and other groups who have faced systemic barriers to healthcare in the U.S. With more proven HIV prevention tools than ever before, now is the time to ensure that all healthcare providers are trained to discuss and promote HIV prevention with their patients. Through The Dr. Dawn K. Smith HIV Prevention Clinical Fellowship, experienced HIV clinicians will provide that training in priority populations and areas, with a special emphasis on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).”
The Dr. Dawn K. Smith HIV Prevention Clinical Fellowship, managed independently by the AAHIVM and funded with a grant provided by ViiV Healthcare, will offer clinicians comprehensive education, starting with online training that transitions into a preceptorship in a clinic that sees a high number of patients. After this, participants receive funding to start a PrEP clinic within their own practices.
Kimberly Smith, M.D., MPH, Head of Research and Development at ViiV Healthcare, said: “This fellowship will help focus training and resources in the areas that stand to make the biggest impact in changing the trajectory of the HIV epidemic. Dr. Dawn K. Smith was a mentor to me and many researchers, providers and advocates who seek to address disparities in HIV incidence and address HIV prevention in communities of colour particularly for women. A fellowship that focuses on training future leaders in this field is a fitting tribute to recognise her many contributions. The American Academy of HIV Medicine is the perfect organisation to help equitably connect the community to preventative care, and ViiV Healthcare is pleased to support such an important programme that will bring us closer to ending the HIV epidemic.”
The fellowship is intended for non-infectious disease clinicians in the fields of emergency medicine, family medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, pharmacy practice, primary care and other fields of medicine that don’t traditionally provide HIV prevention care and tools to their patients. In addition, experienced HIV clinicians, researchers and educators credentialed with AAHIVM will serve as mentors who educate and train program fellows.
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) has emerged over the past decade as an essential tool to prevent HIV acquisition and help society reach the end of the HIV epidemic. PrEP is also significantly underutilised, with about 30% of the 1.2 million people living in the United States who could benefit from PrEP receiving a prescription for the medication.1 Significant racial and gender disparities in usage of PrEP also persist. In the U.S., estimates suggest 78% of white people who could benefit from PrEP have been prescribed it, compared to only 11% of Black and 20% of Hispanic/Latinx people who could benefit.1 Further, PrEP coverage is also unevenly distributed among people based on sex, with coverage almost three times as high among males (34%) compared to females (12%).1
Applications for The Dawn K. Smith HIV Prevention Clinical Fellowship are open to clinicians licensed to practice medicine in the United States and can be accessed at the AAHIVM website. The submission deadline is 15 May 2024, and the fellowship begins on 1 July 2024.
About ViiV Healthcare
ViiV Healthcare is a global specialist HIV company established in November 2009 by GSK (LSE: GSK) and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) dedicated to delivering advances in treatment and care for people living with HIV and for people who are at risk of acquiring HIV. Shionogi became a ViiV shareholder in October 2012. The company’s aims are to take a deeper and broader interest in HIV and AIDS than any company has done before and take a new approach to deliver effective and innovative medicines for HIV treatment and prevention, as well as support communities affected by HIV.
For more information on the company, its management, portfolio, pipeline, and commitment, please visit viivhealthcare.com.
About GSK
GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Find out more at gsk.com.
About The American Academy of HIV Medicine
The American Academy of HIV Medicine is the nation’s leading independent organization of health care professionals dedicated to providing excellence in HIV care and prevention. The Academy’s mission is to ensure health care professionals have the resources needed to provide prevention, treatment and care for those with or at risk for HIV and related conditions to achieve optimal health.
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Reference:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. PrEP for HIV Prevention in the U.S. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/fact-sheets/hiv/PrEP-for-hiv-prevention-in-the-US-factsheet.html. Updated September 2023.
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