TREAT Asia 2008 Network Meeting
The 8th TREAT Asia Annual Network Meeting was held on 18–19 October 2008 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Over 150 participants from 19 countries around the globe participated in the meeting representing clinical sites, community support and advocacy groups, academic centers, donors, laboratories, and other partners. The Network Meeting also was attended by Kenneth Cole, chairman of amfAR’s board of trustees, who opened the meeting with Kevin Robert Frost, amfAR’s CEO.
A main focus of the meeting was to explore how to strengthen the TREAT Asia Network and broaden the scope of activities to better serve the needs of the network and the region.
Meeting participants heard a variety of presentations, including:
- Dr. Annette Sohn, director, TREAT Asia, Thailand: “State of the Network.”
- Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman, head of the infectious diseases unit, University of Malaya Medical Center, Malaysia: “Substance use and harm reduction”
- Dr. Thanyawee Puthanakit, clinical trials physician, HIVNAT, The Netherlands, Australia, Thailand Research Collaboration, Thailand: “Pediatric antiretroviral resistance challenges.”
- Dr. Patrick Li, chief of service, department of medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong: “Establishing and supporting linkages between the medical establishment and the community, Part 1.”
- Dr. Rossana Ditangco, chief, AIDS research group, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Philippines: “Establishing and supporting linkages between the medical establishment and the community, Part 2.”
- Dr. Praphan Phanuphak, director, Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre, Thailand: “How can the network advocate for better and broader access to viral load, genotyping and second line ART options?”
- Dr. David Cooper, director, National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales, Australia: “Antiretroviral resistance in the Asia-Pacific Region.”