World AIDS Day, December 1

An estimated 34 million people in the world live with HIV. More than 25 million people died from the virus between 1981 and 2007, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history. World AIDS Day is held on December 1 each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.

Here is a list of McGill and McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) experts available for comment on your stories for World AIDS Day:

McGill/MUHC experts

Nicole Bernard
Researcher, Infection & Immunity, Research Institute of the MUHC
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, McGill University 
Expertise: HIV resistance, genetics associated with protection from HIV infection, slow replication of VIH among people with protective genes. Available for interviews in English
[email protected] 

Julian Falutz, Director, HIV Metabolic Clinic, MUHC, Coordinator of Chronic Viral Illness Service, HIV and Aging Clinic, MUHC
Expertise: Clinical care of HIV patients, teaching, clinical research, HIV and aging 
Available for interviews in French and English
[email protected] 

Nitika Pai,
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, McGill 
Researcher, Infection & Immunity, Research Institute of the MUHC 
Expertise: Self-testing strategies,screening strategies for HiV and co-infections, development of smart apps for self-testing, synergizing health, multiplexed testing in different at-risk populations, impact of oral testing and counseling in women in labor, simultaneous testing of pregnant women for co-infections.
Available for interviews in English 
[email protected] 

Jean-Pierre Routy, 
Professor of Medicine, McGill, Department of Medicine
MUHC Hematologist and Researcher, Infection & Immunity, Research Institute of the MUHC 
Expertise: HIV primary infection, personalized immunotherapy, therapeutic vaccine, immunology, Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphoma 
Available for interviews in French and English
[email protected]

Mark Wainberg
Director, McGill AIDS Centre 
President-elect of the International AIDS Society
Expertise: Development of anti-HIV drugs, HIV drug resistance, HIV vaccines
Available for interviews in French and English
[email protected]


For interviews, please contact:

Julie Robert 
Public Affairs and Strategic Planning
McGill University Health Centre 
514 934 1934 poste 71381
[email protected]

Cynthia Lee
Media Relations Office
McGill University
514-398-6754
[email protected]
http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/
http://twitter.com/McGillU