White House to Hold Meeting on Aging and HIV

The White House and the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) will hold an invitational meeting next Wednesday morning at the White House. The purpose of the meeting to raise awareness about people who are aging with HIV or contracting HIV as seniors(>50 years of age); to explore unique clinical manifestations of HIV infection among older adults; to discuss existing services for seniors living with HIV and highlight successes as well as gaps; and to discuss targeted strategies for federal and non-federal stakeholders to realize the vision of the President’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy. 

Presenters include academics, policy makers, persons living with HIV/AIDS and HIV advocates. A report on the meeting will be posted once I return from DC.

HIV and Premature Aging: A Debate

One of the hot topics in HIV research and advocacy efforts is whether or not HIV disease causes premature aging. Some research suggests there is merit to this position, while other researchers question the validity of this position. A recent article in POZ magazine discusses this important debate. There seems to be no shortage of stories or anecdotal evidence that this may be occurring, but more scientific evidence is needed. If you are interested in the topic of HIV and premature aging you can find the recent article in POZ at http://www.poz.com/articles/hiv_charpa_aging_401_19208.shtml. Additionally two prominent HIV researchers (Martin & Volberding) just published an editorial in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Copyright laws prevent me from posting the full article, but the editorial entitled HIV and Premature Aging: A field still in its infancy can be found in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 153, No. 7 pp. 477-478.

Aging with HIV: A Gay Man's Guide

The book Aging with HIV: A Gay Man's Guide will be published in December by Oxford University Press. The author, Dr. James Masten, has created a blog that will update you on the book as well as other issues related to this topic. While there is the possibility of some overlap between our blogs, it is better to get information twice than not at all. James and I are in the process of creating cross-links to help keep people better informed. The link to his new blog is http://agingwithhiv.wordpress.com/
Visit his site and check out the contents of his new book.

Aging and HIV Forum in San Francisco

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation will hold a forum/discussion on the topic of aging and HIV/AIDS. The forum will be held on Wednesday, October 13 at 600 The Emarcadero, San Francisco. An announcement for the event can be found at http://www.sfaf.org/hivision/index.html