TORONTO, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has pledged more than $200,000 in support of the HIV Medicine Association's (HIVMA) Minority Clinical Fellowship Program. The program will help provide high quality HIV training for physicians, particularly African-American and Latino physicians, who serve in communities at risk. GSK's support will assist HIVMA in their effort to help promising young minority physicians, who may not otherwise find funding, gain clinical HIV experience and expertise by completing an additional year of training in HIV medicine. HIVMA will award the grants to individuals who have an interest in HIV medicine and who intend to practice medicine in minority communities. The announcement of this fellowship program was made today at the Infectious Diseases Society of America's (IDSA) Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada.
"This program is a critical step in meeting the needs of underserved physicians and communities," said Kimberly Smith, MD, MPH, of Rush University Medical Center and member of the HIVMA board of directors. "These fellowships will elevate the level of care minority HIV patients receive."
HIV infection and AIDS have a disproportionate impact on different racial and ethnic groups, with African Americans only accounting for 11% of the population but 48% of people living with HIV/AIDS. Of the rates of HIV diagnoses for adults and adolescents in all racial and ethnic groups, the highest rate was that for African Americans, followed by the rate for Hispanics.(1)
Two fellowships will be awarded annually to an African-American applicant and a Latino applicant with a demonstrated interest in HIV medicine and a willingness to serve the minority population. The chosen candidates will receive a one-year stipend through their sponsoring institutions. Additionally, fellows will receive a one-year membership in IDSA, including subscriptions to the Society's journals and admission to the IDSA Annual Meeting.
"With GSK's generous support we will be able to attract candidates who are poised to make a crucial difference in the minority community," said HIVMA Chair Daniel Kuritzkes, MD. "We are grateful for their sponsorship at a time when quality HIV care is so important to this population of patients."
"We hope this program will provide important support to the next generation of physicians on the front lines of patient care to help stem the tide of HIV infections in their communities and improve patient care," said Lynn Marks, Senior Vice President, Infectious Diseases Medicine Development Center at GSK.
More information about the fellowship is available online at http://www.hivma.org.
About GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical and healthcare companies and is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. GSK is a leader in bringing HIV/AIDS treatments to patients. For more information, visit GlaxoSmithKline on the World Wide Web at http://www.gsk.com.
About HIVMA
HIVMA is the professional home for more than 3,400 physicians, scientists and other health care professionals dedicated to the field of HIV/AIDS. Nested within the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), HIVMA promotes quality in HIV care and advocates policies that ensure a comprehensive and humane response to the AIDS pandemic informed by science and social justice. IDSA is a professional society representing about 8,000 physicians and scientists who specialize in infectious diseases. For more information, visit our websites: http://www.hivma.org and http://www.idsociety.org.
(1) http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/PDF/hispanic.pdf Media contact: Marc Meachem GlaxoSmithKline 919.483.8756
GlaxoSmithKlineCONTACT: Marc Meachem of GlaxoSmithKline, +1-919-483-8756