On-Demand Videos

In this roundtable event, experts discuss how the current trends in nucleic acid testing for HIV and HCV affect laboratory testing. We hear from our panelists including Ping Ren, Professor of Pathology and Associate Director, Division of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Texas Medical Branch; Nathan Ledeboer, Professor, Medical Director, Clinical Microbiology, Medical Director of Molecular Diagnostics at Medical College of Wisconsin; Sarah Buss, HIV, Hepatitis, State Department and Tb Program Manager at Association of Public Health Laboratories; and Stan Schofield, President at NorDx. Listen to learn more about how nucleic acid testing is an essential tool in the fight against HIV and HCV. (Video run time: 01h 01m 29s)

Join Akil on a journey of discovery as we learn more about the pivotal role of molecular testing in preventing new HIV infections. From assay performance requirements to uncovering the development of molecular assays such as the Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay, we sit down with experts to discuss the reasons why HIV viral load monitoring is paramount in the fight against HIV. We asked a clinician from South Carolina, Dr. Ada D. Stewart, MD, FAAFP about the impact of testing in her practice. Dr. Stewart is a family physician with Cooperative Health in Columbia, South Carolina, and a board chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Stewart was recognized in 2017 for her dedicated service in hepatitis C treatment and prevention by the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council and in April 2018 by the South Carolina Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women with the Health Award in recognition of her contributions to the health of the community in Columbia. In 2019, Stewart was named to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and still serves on that council. We also visited a laboratory and interviewed Dr. Frieda Jordan, CHS, PhD, the co-founder and president of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry. She has served as associate director of the HLA and Immunogenetics Laboratory at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and heads the DNA Molecular Typing Division at Foundation Laboratory, in Los Angeles. Dr. Frieda Jordan, was among a group of 15 California women who were honored by Senator Anthony Portantino in March 2023, on the occasion of Women’s History Month. The honorees were recognized by Senator Anthony Portantino. Finally, we discuss with married couple Ja’Mel Ware, 33, and Alphonso Mills, 30 about their HIV diagnosis. We discuss how HIV viral load monitoring test results impacts their everyday lives and why they see the lab as a critical partner in their race against disease. Finally, this video also discusses the U=U campaigns or Undetectable = Untransmissible, exploring the integration of treatment, viral load monitoring in prevention programs also called TASP or Treatment as Prevention. We cover: 1. How HIV molecular assay test results impact people living with HIV 2. HIV testing guidelines 3. The importance of accurate Viral Load monitoring in reaching U=U (Video run time: 13m 27s)

In this recorded webinar, you will hear from 4 panelists as they discuss HIV in the PrEP era: Keith Jerome, MD, PhD, Rupa Patel, MD, MPH, Antonio Urbina, MD, and Barbara Van Der Pol, PhD, MPH. In the decade since it was introduced, pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, has revolutionized care for people at risk of acquiring HIV infection. However, PrEP medications can prevent the HIV virus from replicating and slow antibody development, potentially delaying diagnosis if a person does become infected. Catching an early HIV infection before initiating PrEP is also critical in order to prevent the possibility of the medication applying a selective pressure that leads to antiretroviral resistance. This panel of experts in HIV patient care and molecular diagnostics critically reviewed the current molecular screening guidelines for people on PrEP, discussed various types of available HIV testing methods and the role they play in testing prior to and during PrEP, and addressed ways to increase access to PrEP and associated testing requirements. (Video run time: 01h 01m 39s)

In this technology session on HCV, Dr. Karen Harrington, PhD, HCLD (ABB) discusses the public health concerns surrounding hepatitis C, and the importance of HCV testing in achieving the goal of HCV elimination. (Video run time: 27m 53s)