CFAR to Host Mentoring Research Symposium

By James Kahn and Brenda Sanchez The UCSF-Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Mentoring Program will offer Bay Area investigators a glimpse into the future of HIV research with a two-day symposium this week. The Second Annual Mentoring Research Symposium will be presented on May 24 and May 25 at the J. David Gladstone Institutes' Mahley Auditorium. Research presentations will span basic, clinical, epidemiologic and preventive aspects of HIV biology. The free symposium will focus on current and planned research being conducted by the next generation of HIV researchers at UCSF, GIVI, and San Francisco-based programs at the Blood Systems Research Institute and the Department of Public Health's HIV Research Section. These young investigators are an integral part of the research enterprise that will sustain the excellence needed to manage patients and their infection. The symposium begins at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, with remarks by Paul A. Volberding, MD, co-director of the UCSF-GIVI CFAR, professor and vice chair, UCSF Department of Medicine, and chief of medical service at San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Check-in and refreshments will begin at noon. The session on Friday, May 25, will begin at 9 a.m. with remarks from James Kahn, MD, director of the CFAR Mentoring Program. Check-in and continental breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. UCSF-GIVI CFAR co-directors Volberding and Warner C. Greene, MD, PhD, director of the GIVI, have sought to provide a venue for promoting the work of the future leaders in HIV research. "It's an unusual event in that it's almost a preview of the people who will go on to be the foremost scientists in HIV research while they're still somewhat unknown outside of the local community," Volberding says. "Better mentoring has become an academic imperative," says Greene. "We believe this symposium, which is the culmination of CFAR's yearlong mentoring program, will provide our young investigators with an excellent opportunity to share their results with the larger community." The program will be moderated by Kahn. Details of the full program can be found on the CFAR website (pdf). Registration is not required and admission is free. For more information, please contact Brenda Sanchez (CFAR).