Help for Haiti

By Miguel Gomez

The earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, caused devastating damage and cost thousands of lives in and around the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Our heartfelt condolences are with those feeling the repercussions of the this tragedy around the world, including members of our own AIDS.gov team.

A Conversation with the Director of the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health

Guest post by JoAnne Keatley, Director of the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health

The transgender community has been disproportionately affected by HIV, and often faces challenges finding and accessing appropriate services. JoAnne Keatley, Director of the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health , is one of the leaders in the larger national conversation about increasing access to culturally competent healthcare for transgender people. At AIDS.gov, we are committed to working with leadership in the transgender community to support this important work, and to consider how new media might play a role in extending the reach of programs. We asked JoAnne to tell us a bit more about the work that she and the Center are doing. Here’s what JoAnne had to say:

JoAnne Keatley, Director of the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health

Q: Please tell us a bit more about yourself.

A: I was born in Mexico City in 1951. I came to the United States when I was eight and grew up in Los Angeles with my mother and six siblings. We struggled quite a bit because Mom was a single parent. In spite of the challenges we faced, I learned to be resilient and to appreciate the strength in family. It is one of the things I love about being Latina! I returned to school as an adult and received an MSW from UC Berkeley in my late 40s. It’s never too late! I identify as female, transgender, and heterosexual. My work today involves managing a portfolio of Pacific AIDS Education & Training Center minority focused training projects and directing the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health . These dual roles allow me to bring forth my years of experience addressing HIV risk behavior in underserved populations.

New Study Seeks Best Ways to Prevent Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission, Preserve Maternal and Infant Health

By Laura Sivitz, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, NIH

How can we best curb the risk of HIV transmission from an infected pregnant woman to her baby during pregnancy and breastfeeding while preserving the health of mother and child? The new study PROMISE, for “Promoting Maternal-Infant Survival Everywhere,” is addressing this question. Funded by The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the study, which will be conducted in as many as 18 countries, will enroll nearly 8,000 HIV-infected women who are pregnant or have recently given birth and don’t yet need HIV treatment, and nearly 6,000 HIV-exposed infants of these women.

Looking Towards the Future with Mobile

By Jeremy Vanderlan, AIDS.gov Web Developer

In the past week, text messaging to raise funds for earthquake relief in Haiti demonstrated the potential of mobile phones to offer simple solutions to help those in need. The emergence of smart phones , mapping technology and mobile applications has dramatically increased mobile use — a recent poll from the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 83% of adults surveyed have some type of cell phone . At AIDS.gov, we asked ourselves what we should be doing to integrate mobile technology into our work on public health, HIV/AIDS, and new media. I recently attended the Gov Goes Mobile workshop, gave a presentation on some of our work at AIDS.gov, and heard take-away messages from leaders in the field.

New Partnership Aims to Tackle DC's HIV/AIDS Epidemic

By Carl W. Dieffenbach

This week, NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. and District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty announced the launch of the D.C. Partnership for HIV/AIDS Progress, an ambitious, research-focused initiative designed to address the District’s HIV/AIDS epidemic.

It’s a much-needed partnership. Our nation’s capital has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the country with at least 3 percent of the city’s adults and adolescents infected with HIV. The number is likely higher as many may not know they are infected. The African-American community bears the greatest burden of the disease, representing 76 percent of D.C.’s HIV/AIDS cases.