Time
17:30 – 19:30 SAST
The University of Cape Town invites you to an inaugural lecture by Professor Catherine Orrell.
Topic: Toward effective HIV treatment in South Africa – injustice, clinical pharmacology and adherence
A sense of injustice spurred my interest in HIV from the early 1990s: from the time of AIDS denialism when the only treatment access was through small clinical trials; to today, when through ongoing global inequity, PWH in Africa are again being denied new formulations. I will talk through my experience and involvement as a clinical pharmacologist in the development of new antiretroviral treatment and treatment strategies over the past 20 years; as well as my fascination with adherence: why people do or do not take their life-saving daily medication.
About our speaker:
Catherine Orrell is an HIV Clinician, Clinical Pharmacologist and clinical trial specialist. She has been PI on more than 20 antiretroviral clinical trials since 2004: including a range of efficacy, toxicity, PK, drug interaction and dosing studies. She has in-depth experience of conducting research in both state-of-the-art research facilities at the University of Cape Town; and in community settings / primary healthcare clinic environments. She leads a clinical research site in Gugulethu, the DTHF Centre for Adherence and Therapeutics (D-CAT). The site is currently conducting clinical trials of novel methods to monitor and improve ART adherence; as well as exploring the use of long-acting antiretroviral therapy in adolescents and young people living with HIV.