Image courtesy of AIDS 2012 website

A team of 13 researchers and scientists from Burnet is in Washington to present their latest work and discuss the issues around HIV/AIDS with other leading experts from around the world.

Each day we will highlight the latest news from the Conference and also outline the presentations by Burnet researchers.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Nobel Laureate Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Philanthropist Bill Gates and singer Elton John will be among the range of prominent voices to address AIDS 2012.

Also presenting are:

• former U.S. President Bill Clinton
• U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
• South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe
• Former U.S. First Lady Laura Bush
• HRH Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
• World Bank President Jim Yong Kim
• UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé
• NIAID Director Anthony Fauci
• Actress Whoopi Goldberg
• Australian Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek
• Victorian Health Minister David Davis

Co-Head of the Centre for Virology, Professor Sharon Lewin will speak at the ‘Towards a Cure’ media launch and also at the Closing Ceremony where AIDS 2014 in Melbourne will be the focus.

Professor Suzanne Crowe AM, Co-Head of the Centre for Virology as well as Virology colleagues, Dr Lachlan Gray, Dr Clovis Palmer, Nitasha Kumar, Hamid Salimiseyedabad, Associate Professor Melissa Churchill and Associate Professor Paul Gorry will be attending.

The Centre for Population Health will be represented by Dr Mark Stoove, Head of the HIV/STI Research group, who will present two abstracts at the conference and Dr Julian Elliott.

Infectious diseases physician and head of Burnet’s Wright Group, Dr Edwina Wright will join Professor Sharon Lewin and Victorian Health Minister David Davis in a presentation about Melbourne AIDS 2014, the next venue for the conference.

Chad Hughes, Team Leader for the HIV and Harm Reduction group within the Centre for International Health and Institute Deputy-Director Associate Professor David Anderson will attend the conference as delegates.

The AIDS 2012 theme - “Turning the Tide Together”

Reflects the current sense of hope and the renewed optimism that a change of course in the epidemic is possible.

The Conference aims to “mobilise governments, NGOs, policy makers, scientists, civil society organisations, journalists and people living with HIV to join forces and build the necessary momentum to turn the tide on HIV and AIDS,” according to their official website.

The International AIDS Society, the world’s leading independent association of HIV professionals, will organise AIDS 2012 in collaboration with its international and local partners, and is expecting more than 20,000 delegates from 200 countries and 200 international journalists to attend.