The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) laboratory is dedicated to advancing global HIV/AIDS research and care through cutting-edge initiatives, clinical testing, and collaborative partnerships. As one of six WHO-designated specialized laboratories within the WHO HIV ResNet Drug Resistance lab network, the BC-CfE laboratory provides capacity, training and support to increase the availability of HIV drug resistance testing worldwide. This work becomes even more important in the midst of global challenges. It is for this reason that the BC-CfE laboratory is currently assisting the Ukr ..read more

August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day, an annual campaign to end overdoses, remember without stigma those who have died from overdose, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) joins families, friends and communities in mourning the needless losses of life through overdose and continue to advocate for an end to the toxic drug crisis through a safer supply of drugs. While attention increasingly focuses on combatting the toxic drug supply which is a leading contributor to overdose deaths, communities are work ..read more

World Hepatitis Day takes place every July 28th to raise awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis and to influence real change. In 2023 the theme is ‘We’re not waiting, calling on people around the world to take action, get tested and know their hepatitis C (HCV) status. In BC, testing and treatment are simple, free and curative in as little as 8 weeks. Our Viral Hepatitis Research Program located at the Hope to Health Research & Innovation Centre, takes a syndemics and health equity approach, focusing on the intersections between HCV, HIV, and mental health and substance use dis ..read more

Dr. Paula Braitstein (third from left) and University of Toronto students The BC-CfE is saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Paula Braitstein, a world-renowned expert in public health and epidemiology. She conducted numerous research studies across the globe, mentored countless students and was an ardent advocate for healthcare equity. Born in Montreal, Dr. Braitstein completed her graduate studies at the University of British Columbia under BC-CfE Senior Research Scientist Dr. Robert Hogg and was a dedicated research associate with the BC-CfE from 2000-2005. Driven by a passion for commu ..read more

For the first time since BC-CfE Executive Director & Physician-in-Chief Dr. Julio Montaner welcomed the world to Vancouver in 2015, the International AIDS Society returned to Canada July 29th, bringing the 24th International AIDS Conference to Montreal (AIDS 2022). The world’s foremost meeting on HIV research, advocacy and policy-making, the biannual conference is the largest global gathering on any health issue in the world. Hosting the conference in Montreal, offered the Canadian government an opportunity to highlight their support of HIV/AIDS at home and abroad. Notably, the federal Mi ..read more

The BC-CfE’s Clinical Education and Training Program recently saw a change in leadership from Dr. Silvia Guillemi, who started leading the program when it began back in 2011, to Dr. Val Montessori. Dr. Montessori has multiple roles, as she will be leading the Clinical Education and Training Program while also serving as the Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at St. Paul’s Hospital and as the Co-chair of the Committee for Drug Evaluation and Therapy. Dr. Montessori also works as a Clinical Associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of British Columbia ..read more

Drug Treatment Program The BC Centre for Excellence (BC-CfE) Drug Treatment Program (DTP) is an unparalleled world-class clinical registry designed to facilitate access to provincially subsidized antiretroviral therapy (ART) free of cost to participants who are medically eligible persons living with HIV in BC. This BC Pharmacare-funded program not only acts as a registry for people living with HIV and for HIV-treating physicians in BC, but also serves as an "early warning system" to alert key stakeholders about the trajectory of the disease. The data within the DTP is also the basis for moni ..read more

After a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the BC-CfE’s award-winning Intensive Preceptorship program has resumed. On May 9th, a small cohort of physicians and nurse practitioners began the first offering of the program since 2019, which will see them gain knowledge, skills, and confidence in providing care to people living with HIV (PLWH). Participating clinicians either self-identify or are recommended by their employer to attend the course. As a provincial program, the BC-CfE serves every health authority in BC, which means the attendees could be coming from anywhere in the province t ..read more

New BC-CfE research, published in the recent issue of AIDS, characterizes trends in the annual prevalence of drug interactions between antiretroviral therapy (ART) and other non-antiretroviral medications in relation to ART prescribing patterns. The study also describes drug interaction-related ART changes. Titled, “Evolving patterns of antiretroviral drug interactions in people with HIV in British Columbia, Canada,” this cohort study included persons living with HIV (PLWH) who received ART through the BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) between 2010 and 2016. The research analyzed medication ..read more

Collaborating with colleagues from UBC and UCLA, BC-CfE researchers, in a novel study, looked at whether people living with HIV (PLWH) and (COPD) experience an acceleration of aging in their airways, independent of their smoking history. The study, titled “Airway Aging and Methylation Disruptions in HIV-associated Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease” was recently published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The objective of this study was to identify whether accelerated aging can be observed in the airways of PLWH with COPD. In order to identify accelerated a ..read more