The University of California San Diego (UCSD) Antiviral Research Center (AVRC) ACTG Community Advisory Board has been in operation since 1990. We are made up of approximately 15-20 regular members from many diverse backgrounds and take great pride in that fact. We meet the first Monday of every month, unless rescheduled due to holidays. Our meetings run from 5:30-7:00pm. Each meeting consists of an educational topic from one of the UCSD faculty or collaborators on a current, pending or results of a research topic conducted at the AVRC. At the end of the discussion, following questions and answers, CAB members discuss business matters, including research updates, educational events, or fundraising events in the community.
We always enjoy a light meal and look forward to seeing old and new friends each month. All persons are welcome, regardless of medical history, current health, or HIV status. We especially encourage those who have taken part in clinical trials or who are currently enrolled in one to attend.
Our CAB also gets involved in a number of community-focused educational, outreach, and research projects. Last spring, we were part of launching Lead the Way, the nation’s first comprehensive HIV treat-and-treat campaign. A number of our CAB members (HIV-positive and -negative) have participated in Lead the Way and encouraged others in the project’s two targeted zip codes to participate as well. In October, we helped organize the Community Forum on Hepatitis C as an educational opportunity to teach community members about HCV and opportunities to participate in innovative treatment research at the AVRC. We had a great turnout at the forum and look forward to being a part of other community-based educational and outreach events in the years to come.
Throughout our history many of our past and present CAB members have distinguished themselves in advocacy and activism in HIV/AIDS-related causes. This work continues today, with several members on numerous national and global organizations and advisory boards.
San Diego is a beautiful place to live. Not only do we have some of the best weather anywhere, our researchers are every bit as warm and remarkable. As one of the original ACTG sites, UCSD/AVRC continues to have a large presence in the ACTG with many of the original ACTG investigators and highly experienced research staff.