Two exceptional individuals are being honored by HIVMA this week at IDWeek 2018. HIVMA is pleased to recognize the following individuals for excellence in the field of HIV medicine:

HIVMA is pleased to announce the election of four new members to its Board of Directors and to name W. David Hardy, MD, as its new Chair. HIVMA is dedicated to promoting quality HIV care and advocating for policies that ensure a comprehensive and humane response to the global AIDS pandemic.

The administration’s transfer of funds from infectious diseases prevention, care and biomedical research programs to offset the rising costs of the “Unaccompanied Alien Children” program comes as our nation prepares for flu season and confronts unprecedented increases in cases of sexually transmitted diseases, spikes in infections linked to the opioid crisis.

Leaders of research and programmatic responses to HIV globally gathered on Capitol Hill Thursday to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief launch and the flagship program’s achievements, but also to cite urgent needs to strengthen and accelerate the program’s efforts toward ending the pandemic.

The Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Defense Department Senate and House conference agreement released Thursday demonstrates legislators’ commitment to tackling some of the most critical health issues our nation faces. The agreement includes a $263 million increase in funding for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases supporting essential biomedical research and development, and $5 million added to 2018 funding levels for HIV, hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the increase reflected in the $1.132 billion allotted to CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, keeps funding for the four main divisions at 2018 levels, it also includes an allotment for a new center-wide initiative to prioritize areas most at risk for outbreaks of HIV and hepatitis due to injection drug use and the opioid epidemic, an important step in combating an ongoing crisis.

As the hurricane season reaches its peak, and Hurricane Florence brings threats of catastrophic weather events and flooding to the eastern United States, preparation and sustained responses will be essential to prevent and respond to public health and infectious disease impacts that pose risks in a storm’s aftermath.

As thousands of physicians, including those providing infectious diseases and HIV care, cited damaging impacts of a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposal to slash reimbursements for evaluation and management of complex cases, lawmakers are signing onto a letter asking the agency to delay action on the move.