Associate Professor Gilda Tachedjian and Professor Margaret Hellard show Jon Faine Burnet's PC3 laboratory.

ABC 774 Conversation Hour, hosted by Jon Faine, made a special visit to Burnet Institute this week, taking a guided tour to learn more about our HIV work ahead of AIDS 2014.

The hour-long program, co-hosted by Burnet’s Head of the Centre for Population Health, Professor Margaret Hellard showcased the Institute’s state-of-the-art facilities and met some of our leading HIV researchers.

PhD student Anna Bowring explained her research looking at risk and behaviours of bisexual men in Laos.

Associate Professor Gilda Tachedjian took over the lab part of the tour, highlighting the work of students Sushama Telwatte and Daniela Srbinovski.

After a sneak peak at what happens in the high-security PC3 laboratory, Mr Faine was able to look through Burnet’s super-resolution microscope with the assistance of Dr Candida da Fonseca Pereira.

On leaving the labs, Professor Robert Power met Professor Hellard and Mr Faine to explain Burnet’s Centre for International Health (CIH) work.

“In CIH we can take evidence into the field, whether it be in Myanmar or Indonesia, and implement it, working with our partners to see what works on the ground,” Professor Power said.

The tour finished back in the foyer with one of Professor Hellard’s patients, Julian Collins who has been living with HIV for almost 30 years.

“I’ve been living on borrowed time for 30 years. I hope that it has made me a better person because every thing is a bonus - my health is as good as it’s always been,” Mr Collins said.

CLICK HERE to listen to the special Conversation Hour at Burnet Institute.