Author Archives: administrator

A glimpse into the history of Pittsburgh’s gay bar scene

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From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

In the early 1980s, about a dozen of Pittsburgh’s gay bar and bathhouse owners formed an association, the Tavern Guild, under leadership of the late Chuck Tierney. The group’s original purpose was to discuss issues ranging from police raids to what glassware to buy, said Honse, one of its last living original members.

As time went on, the Pittsburgh Tavern Guild gained political power, Honse said. It began hosting fundraisers for a slew of causes, especially HIV research and aid. In 1985, the Frank Borelli AIDS Fund was established. By 1998, over $93,843 had been raised for and distributed to people living with AIDS and their families, and for AIDS education and prevention efforts.

Read the full article.

Pitt Men’s Study 40th Year Celebration

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The Pitt Men’s Study recently celebrated our 40th Anniversary! We had an event for our participants at the University Club on September 27th. A representative from Mayor Gainey’s office, Rick Williams, gave a proclamation declaring September 27, 2024 as Pitt Men’s Study Day. We also received letters from Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, Governor Josh Shapiro, and Congresswoman Summer Lee recognizing the importance of the study and thanking our participants. We acknowledged our study participants who’ve been coming in for 40 years. And we enjoyed a musical performance from David Hawkins. Thanks to all of our participants, staff and researchers!

Principal investigator Dr. Charles Rinaldo, NCAB co-chair Marc Wagner, rep to Mayor's office Rick Williams

Principal investigator Dr. Charles Rinaldo, NCAB co-chair Marc Wagner, rep to Mayor’s office Rick Williams

Pitt Men’s Study update: 40th Anniversary edition newsletter

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What started back in 1983, as the first NIH-funded research regarding the virus that became known as HIV, the Pitt Men’s Study continues to evolve. Now entering their 40th year of dedicated research, the study looks back at the long road that got us to where we are today as well as looking ahead to an eventual cure.

Pitt Men's Study 40th Anniversary

Find out more in the Pitt Men’s Study 40th Anniversary Newsletter.

Longest running study of HIV survivors is marking its 40th anniversary this year

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From The NIH National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute:

In the 1980s, infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was often viewed as a death sentence. With no treatments available and little understanding of the virus or the disease, hundreds of thousands of people in the United States ultimately lost their lives and millions more died worldwide.

Much has changed in the past four decades. Thanks to the availability of powerful antiretroviral drugs, new infections have decreased significantly, the virus is held at low levels in the body, and the HIV death rate has plummeted. People living with HIV are now more likely to die of a chronic illness, such as cardiovascular disease, than from AIDS. Meanwhile, researchers continue to make inroads in finding an effective vaccine or even a cure.

a group of people wearing red ribbons on their white shirts

Now, this year, another milestone: the nation’s largest and longest running study of HIV survivors is marking its 40th anniversary.

The Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) launched in 1984 to help shed light on how AIDS was affecting gay and bisexual men living with or at risk for HIV. Over the years it enrolled some 7,300 men and eventually merged with the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). That study has focused on the health impact of HIV on nearly 5,000 women living with or at risk for the virus.

Read the full article.

AIDS researcher, John Philip Phair, dies of heart failure

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From the Lancet online…

John Philip Phair, an Infectious disease specialist and influential HIV/AIDS researcher has died of heart failure. He was born on July 17, 1934, in Paris, France, and passed away on Feb 19, 2024, in Evanston, IL, at age 89.

When the AIDS epidemic erupted in the USA in the mid1980s, John Phair led key parts of the research response to the disease nationally while helping guide local clinical efforts from his position as head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, USA. In 1983 Phair helped form the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), a US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-supported prospective study on the natural and treated histories of HIV infections in men who have sex with men. He was the “unanimous choice to lead the foursite MACS. He had the right background as an infectious disease expert and he had no ego”, said Charles Rinaldo, Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Group of people, researchers for an H I V Cohort study in Chicago.

Dr. John Philip Phair bottom left, standing next to Dr. Rinaldo and his fellow colleagues in Chicago, 2014.

In addition to being a “great person and really smart”, he abated some of the hysteria that marked the early years of the AIDS epidemic by being “very level-headed. He could swim through some very rough waters”, said Robert Murphy, the John Philip Phair Professor of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and Executive Director of the Havey Institute for Global Health.

Read the full obituary.

PA Department of Health HIV Conference in Pittsburgh on June 26

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The PA Department of Health, Division of HIV Health is excited for the 2024 HIV Conference being held in Pittsburgh, PA.

Registration for this conference is open to anyone from Pennsylvania who has an interest in learning more about HIV including people who utilize HIV services, HIV Prevention and Care providers, community-based organizations, and government agencies/employees. This conference will focus on both statewide initiatives and spotlight some regionally based providers and programs. HIV Con 2024 hosted by the Department of Health banner

The confernece will be held on June 26, 2024, at the  Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square, 300 W. Station Square Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Conference presentations include a Minority AIDS Initiative Panel, LGBTQ Youth Agency Presentation, and a presentation on HIV and Aging. An updated conference agenda can be found >HERE.

You can register to attend at the HIV Prevention and Care website.

For more information about the confrence, contact Kendra Parry at the PA Department of Health: c-kparry@pa.gov.

Health Alert: CDC reports sharp rise in new cases of Mpox

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The CDC reports Mpox cases in the United States are twice as high as they were at this time last year. As of January 1st, In New York City (for example) 1,149 people have tested positive for the virus as reported by the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Ninety-four percent of the cases were among men who have sex with men.

M pox vaccine

Locally, in Pittsburgh, 11 new cases have been reported so far this year, up from only 2 in all of 2023. Dr. Ken Ho, an infectious disease doctor and researcher at UPMC, notes that he also sees an uptick in new infections. “One way to effectively fight Mpox is to get fully vaccinated,” said Dr. Ho, who is also an HIV treatment specialist. “While the majority of cases have been in gay and bisexual men, the virus is transmitted by close contact—including sexual contact—and anyone can get it.”

You can go to your doctor’s office to get vaccinated. Other local clinics and drug stores also provide the vaccine. To find local providers, go to https://npin.cdc.gov/web-tools/mpox-vaccine-locator .

To find out more about Mpox, and how to protect yourself, go to the CDC’s website at https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/index.html.

Pitt Men’s Study marks 40 years of AIDS research

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From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette…

“People were dying and we didn’t know why,” said Marc C. E. Wagner [researcher at the University of Pittsburgh]. “I knew it was a devastating condition, even early on.”

Through gay bars and picnics, word began to spread about a study at the University of Pittsburgh investigating the disease, and on April 1, 1984, the study officially began recruiting its first participants.

Newspaper headline saying 10 thousdand local gay men will be sought four year AIDS study
Newspaper headline announces recruitment for the Men’s Study in 1984.

Forty years later, the Pitt Men’s Study is one of the longest-running studies on HIV and AIDS in the country. About 2000 men have participated since the beginning, coming every six months to give blood samples and answer questionnaires, building a scientific goldmine in the process.

Read the full article on the Post Gazette webpage.

Watch MPox Virtual Town Hall Meeting hosted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

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The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine hosted a virtual town hall meeting to answer your questions about monkeypox. Featured speakers were Dr. Ken Ho, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease and Dr. Charles Rinaldo, Principal Investigator for the Pitt Men’s Study.

To watch the recorded meeting from July 18th, Click on this link: https://clipchamp.com/watch/dF2b5mqGY8R .

illustration of Monkey Pox virus

You can find out more about Mpox from the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/if-sick/transmission.html.

 

 

February 7th is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

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Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. CDC data shows that Black/African American are at a higher risk for HIV infection as compared to other races and ethnicities. Why? Because these communities are impacted by demographic factors such as discrimination, stigma, and institutionalized health disparities—all of which affect their risk for HIV.
Two black men in a loving embrace
Find out more about the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on HIV.gov.