UBC prof named 2010 “Albert Einstein” World Award of Science

The 2010 “Albert Enstein” World Award of Science will be presented to Julio Montaner, professor of Medicine and Chair in AIDS Research at UBC, Director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and Past President of the International AIDS Society (IAS).

Montaner was chosen for his relentless advancements in the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS since the early 1980s. He has pioneered the life-saving concept of “treatment as prevention,” which aims to dramatically increase testing and treatment for HIV using the best available diagnostic tools and medications. He recently published a landmark study in The Lancet, which showed that the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) dramatically reduces the likelihood of HIV transmission. At the recently concluded IAS conference in Vienna, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) cited the study findings as the basis for their radical new approach to HIV treatment dubbed “Treatment 2.0.”

“I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious award,” said Dr. Montaner. “I share this recognition with my colleagues at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, whose dedication towards their work continues to help create and refine new approaches to HIV and AIDS treatment, the government of British Columbia, St. Paul’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia. I also share this award with my peers in the healthcare and research community who have inspired and influenced me throughout my career.”

For more information, visit  http://www.med.ubc.ca/about_us/Awards_and_Honours.htm#Montaner