An ongoing dialogue on HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases,
January 2nd, 2024
Reflections on Working in the Hospital During the Holidays
For the zillionth year in a row, I spent the Christmas holiday working in the hospital. For me, it’s not much of a sacrifice — we don’t celebrate Christmas, and my kids are long out of school so the strict limits on when we can take vacation are a thing of the past. But it […]
October 31st, 2023
HIV Research Highlights from IDWeek 2023
Having already featured an important non-HIV clinical research study from IDWeek — the amazing ACORN trial — I turn now to a grab bag of HIV-related studies, a veritable Halloween treat bag full of them. (Note to self: What’s with that “Halloween treat bag” reference? Couldn’t you come up with a less awkward way to link […]
October 17th, 2023
A Brilliant Strategy for Conducting Clinical Trials — The ACORN Study
The secret to doing a great clinical trial is quite simple. Here, I’ll share it with you: Come up with an important clinical question for which there’s true equipoise. Choose primary and secondary endpoints that people care about. Make the inclusion and exclusion criteria easy to understand and chosen so that they define a readily available […]
October 8th, 2023
An October ID (and Non-ID) Link-o-Rama
For those venturing next week to IDWeek here in Boston, fall gives us our very best weather. Comfortable sunny days with brilliant blue skies, cool evenings, low humidity — great weather for exercising and sleeping. Usually you just need a light jacket. And now, after one of the rainiest Septembers on record (boo!), October has […]
September 8th, 2023
Endless Recertification in Medicine — Some Thoughts About the Tests We Take
The tests issued by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) for credentialing physicians are much in the news again. There’s even a petition circulating to eliminate the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process entirely, signed by nearly 20,000 physicians. I have a bunch of memories, thoughts, and feelings about ABIM and the tests they issue. They’re […]
August 18th, 2023
My Vote for the Weirdest Antibiotic on the Planet
If you’re an ID doctor, there’s an excellent chance you’ve treated patients who have non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) with clofazimine. In fact, based on a poll done with the utmost scientific rigor, it’s well more than half of you. And if you’re not an ID doctor, there’s a decent chance you’ve never even heard of it — […]
May 8th, 2023
As the Public Health Emergency Comes to an End, How Are We Feeling About This?
As you no doubt heard, on Friday, May 5, 2023, the WHO declared the end of the global health emergency from COVID-19. Here in the U.S., the federal public health emergency will expire on May 11. That’s Thursday, just a few days from now. These events reflect two realities that, while seemingly contradictory, make these decisions reasonable […]
April 28th, 2023
What is the Future of HIV Primary Care?
Here’s a figure I’ve made for an upcoming talk, which is entitled “The Future of HIV Care.” It summarizes several eras in HIV treatment, finishing up with the current unprecedented successful phase where most people with HIV take 1–2 pills a day, have virologic suppression and no clinically apparent immunodeficiency. HIV is often the least […]
April 21st, 2023
A Change-of-Season ID/HIV Link-o-Rama
The warm weather takes its sweet time to arrive here in Boston, teasing us with an occasional comfortable day, but reverting frequently to chilly temperatures and high winds until mid-to-late May at the earliest. The afternoon sunlight might say, “Spring is here!”, but the nightly temps in the upper 30s/low 40s definitely say otherwise. Brrr. Anyway, […]
April 8th, 2023
Travel Clinics and a Travel History to Beat All Travel Histories
Dear All, I’ve received some very helpful and quite critical comments about the original post that was here. Having re-read the original, I’m acknowledging my mistake and want to apologize to my colleagues, many of whom do travel medicine with true expertise, excellent intentions, and for the benefit of travelers everywhere. My bad for not emphasizing […]