Conference Speakers 2010
(Click Name to View Bio)
Jeremiah G. Tilles, M.D., MACP is the Director of the AIDS Education and Training Center, Professor Emeritus in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, Irvine, and Chair for the California Chapter American College of Physicians. He has been serving on the Orange County HIV Planning Council since 2001 and fulfills the mandated membership category of Hospital Planning Agency or Health Care Planning Agency.
Michelle Roland, MD, was appointed Chief of the Office of AIDS (OA) in the Center for Infectious Diseases, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on July 1, 2007.
Dr. Roland’s background, experience, skills, and interests prepared her well to accept the position as Chief of OA. She has participated in the many “worlds” of HIV as a friend, volunteer, advocate, doctor, researcher, teacher, and policy maker.
Prior to joining CDPH/OA, Dr. Roland worked as a physician for over ten years in the HIV/AIDS Program (“Ward 86”) at San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco (SFGH/UCSF). She remains committed to her HIV/AIDS clinical practice, working there one-half a day per week. She received her medical training at University of California, Davis, and completed a three-year primary care internal medicine residency program in 1997 at SFGH/UCSF.
Dr. Roland’s HIV/AIDS policy work has included several advisory roles such as serving on OA’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program Medical Advisory Committee, serving as Public Policy Chair of the American Academy of HIV Medicine, and consulting with the World Health Organization to develop international post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) guidelines.
Dr. Roland is a researcher committed to evidence-based practice, developing important research questions and implementing studies with practical clinical and prevention implications. Her areas of research interest include: 1) HIV prevention utilizing PEP following consensual sexual exposures and sexual assault, combined with comprehensive behavioral and psychosocial interventions; and 2) evaluating the safety and efficacy of kidney and liver transplants for people with HIV.
At OA, Dr. Roland continues her work to develop collaborations, facilitate communication, and ensure that OA’s work is of the utmost relevance.
Calvin J. Cohen, M.D., M.Sc., is the Director of Research at Community Research Initiative of New England. In addition, he is a Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Staff Physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Research Director at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates.
Dr. Cohen earned his B.A. degree at Cornell University, his M.D. at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and his M.Sc. at the Harvard School of Public Health. After graduating, he completed his internship and residency in medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He also served as Chief Medical Resident at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Brockton, Massachusetts, under the auspices of Harvard Medical School. His fellowship in general internal medicine was completed at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Cohen's research interests include the study and antiviral treatment of HIV/AIDS and related topics. He has served as co-chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the AmFAR Community-Based Clinical Trial Network and was a co-investigator of the Harvard AIDS Clinical Trial Unit. In addition to his clinical and research roles, Dr. Cohen is currently a co-principal investigator of the New England AIDS Education and Training Center, and is a member of the Executive Committee of INSIGHT, an NIH-supported network of clinician-researchers.
Dr. Cohen has authored and co-authored numerous articles on HIV/AIDS and related topics. His articles are published in Annals of Internal Medicine, New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet. Dr. Cohen is the recipient of the Outstanding Physicians Award for his work at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care - Robert H. Ebert Teaching Award, the Community Recognition Award from the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, the Upjohn Award for Excellence in Medical Training, and the Wainwright Bank Social Justice Award.
Trevor Hawkins, MD received his medical training at Manchester University Medical School. He fulfilled his internship at Burnley and Ashton General Hospitals in the UK and furthered his education at the Family Practice Training, London, UK.
The late 1970's brought Dr. Hawkins to Nr. Mumbai, India where he was the Medical Director at the General Hospital there. After several years in India, he continued his medical career in the United States, beginning in Sante Fe, New Mexico, where he has centered his practice.
Dr. Hawkins is an Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Family Practice, at the University of New Mexico. He also provides care as the Medical Director and Principal Physician at the Southwest C.A.R.E. (Comprehensive AIDS-Care Research and Education) Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This state-of-the-art facility was founded by Dr. Hawkins in 1996 and caters to HIV- positive individuals with an emphasis on the quality of life.
He has been a member of IAPAC (International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care) since 1995, New Mexico Medical Society (NMMS), in addition to AAHIVM (American Academy of HIV Medicine) which he has most recently joined.
His academic service spans over ten years and includes being the Founder and 1st Chairman of the Board of TREAT (The Resources for Experimental AIDS Therapies), a volunteer for Villa Theresa Indigent Clinic for sick children, and Sub-investigator for NIH funded CPCRA (Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS) grant through the University of New Mexico, to name a few.
His works have earned him several awards: "Best MD in Santa Fe" by readers of the Santa Fe Reporter for three years, the Human Rights Advocate Award through the Human Rights Alliance, as well as Provider of the Year Award through Santa Fe CARES in 1995.
Dr. Hawkins has participated in numerous research activities over the years, many pertaining to Antiretroviral (ARV) Therapy. His contributions and accomplishments have been a great gift to all affected by HIV/AIDS.
Glenn J. Treisman, M.D., Ph.D., is the director of AIDS Psychiatry Services at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and an associate professor of medicine and psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Dr. Glenn J. Treisman, who has been described as the "father of AIDS psychiatry," describes the relationship between psychiatric disorders and HIV/AIDS and demonstrates the ways in which effective recognition and treatment of mental disorders can increase a patient's ability to obtain better treatment, improve compliance with medical regimens, and reduce incidents of high—risk behavior.
Since 2002, Dr. Sitapati has been working at academic Ryan White Part C (Title III) programs striving to improve the quality of life for persons living with HIV through the delivery of comprehensive primary medical care. Her experience working with communities of minority sexual orientations, refugees, native African immigrants, Mexican border populations, and urban blacks, has enabled her to recognize the complex social barriers unique to each group. She has become increasingly involved in teaching at a local and international level, in using media to improve the knowledge of the community and in serving as a patient advocate. Her research interests have focused on anal dysplasia, women of color living with HIV, and routine HIV screening.
In 2005, Dr. Sitapati established The Center for Infectious Disease Management and Research (CIDMAR), a new Ryan White Part C center of excellence dedicated to the provision of culturally competent, state of the art HIV medical care to its 225 patients. As CIDMAR’s Medical Director, she developed a multi-disciplinary practice that provides primary medical care and HIV testing. In June of 2007, she met with the First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush, to discuss the first hospital-wide routine HIV screening program in the Nation.
In October 2007, Dr. Sitapati returned to the Owen Clinic at the University of California, San Diego to continue her vision to provide exceptional medical care; serve as an instructor for students and residents; develop and deliver clinical research; and design a strong infrastructure to support a world class HIV practice. As an active primary care internist, she is dedicated to serving patients living with HIV in her community as well as throughout the world.
Sexual health psychotherapist, trainer and author Douglas Braun-Harvey bridges sexual and mental health and facilitates individual, group and organizational change. Through his psychotherapy, training, writing and consultation, HIV infected women and men discover, develop, implement and maintain their unique vision for sexual health. Douglas trains principles of sexual health within a wide range of health and human services including drug and alcohol treatment, psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, HIV prevention and treatment, sexual abuse and maltreatment, family court services and OCSB.
Doug Braun-Harvey led a ten state wide regional training days for the California State Office of AIDS Early Intervention Programs. Thirty-six early intervention projects in 41 California counties provide a coordinated comprehensive interdisciplinary service for women and men HIV infected or at high risk for acquiring an HIV infection. The Early Intervention Program (EIP) provides medical, transmission risk reduction, psychosocial, health education and case management services for youth and adults with a targeted focus on infected persons at high risk for transmitting HIV and to assist HIV infected persons from marginalized populations.
Marvin Belzer, MD, is an associate professor of clinical pediatrics and medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine. He graduated from medical school at USC in 1986. He completed his internship and residency at the University of California Irvine in primary care internal medicine. He completed his fellowship in adolescent medicine at Children's Hospital Los Angeles in 1991. Since 1991, Dr. Belzer has been the medical director of the Risk Reduction Program, and he is the associate director of research at the Division of Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Belzer has one of the largest adolescent HIV clinics in the western United States. He has developed a clinical research program that is engaged in large multisite clinical trials for youth infected with HIV. Current research network affiliations include the Adolescent HIV/AIDS Trails Network, Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Project Legacy. Dr. Belzer has been involved in multiple studies evaluating medication adherence. He also is involved in HIV prevention studies for high-risk adolescent populations.
Judith Daar is currently a Visiting Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California Irvine College of Medicine. She is regularly a Professor of Law at Whittier Law School, where she has taught since 1990. Professor Daar’s course coverage includes classes in Health Law, Bioethics, Reproductive Technologies, Property, and Wills & Trusts. In 2005, she became Chair of the Association of American Law School’s Section on Law, Medicine and Health Care, and in 2006 she was named to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics. In 2007, she was appointed to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Committee on Informed Consent in ART. She is a member of the UCI Medical Center Medical Ethics Committee, where she serves on the Bioethics Consultation Team. Since 1986, Professor Daar has been the chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Bioethics Committee, Subcommittee on Reproductive Issues. She has also served as a member of the Harbor-UCLA Hospital Institutional Review Board, and the ABA Coordinating Group on Bioethics. Professor Daar has lectured extensively in the field of reproductive medicine, including giving testimony to the National Academies of Science, Committee on Science, Technology, and Law in March 2007. Her scholarship focuses in the area of reproductive technologies where she has authored numerous articles on topics including stem cell research, human cloning, frozen embryo disputes, the regulation of reproductive medicine and is a volunteer attorney for the HIV & AIDS Legal Services Alliance.
She graduated cum laude from Georgetown University, Georgetown Law, and graduated from University of Michigan.
Laveeza Bhatti, MD, Ph D is an Infectious Disease Specialist at the Westside Healthcare Center. She is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the Subspecialty Board in Infectious Diseases.
Dr. Bhatti specializes in HIV care and infectious diseases. Prior to joining AIDS Healthcare Foundation, she provided HIV inpatient and outpatient care at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Wadsworth VA Medical, the UCLA/Olive View County Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She became a fellow of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine at the UCLA School of Medicine and a postgraduate resident at the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She also completed an internship at the Department of Medicine at University Hospital at Stony Brook, SUNY in New York.
Dr. Bhatti is a leading researcher and educator. In addition to conducting research, she has been an educator at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the UCLA School of Medicine. She also performed trainings for residents and medical students in Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine at UCLA and UCSD. Her research in cellular immunology and virology has been published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, Cellular Immunology, The Faseb Journal, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the Journal of Virology.
Dr. Bhatti holds professional memberships with the American College of Physicians, Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Infectious Disease Association of America. Her work has been awarded and recognized by the UCLA School of Medicine, World Health Organization, and the University of California. In addition, she has been a fellow at UCLA and the American Association of University Women. Dr. Bhatti has received further recognition from King Edward Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan.
Dr. Bhatti received her medical degree from the King Edward Medical College and her Ph.D in microbiology and immunology from the UCLA School of Medicine.
Martin Salas is the Director of Health Education and Prevention Services at AIDS Services Foundation. He is the co-chair of the Orange County HIV Prevention Planning Committee. He has been a member of the Council since 1999 and fulfills the mandated membership category of Social Service Provider.
Yvonne Bryson, MD, is invited around the world to speak about her research involving mother-to-child HIV transmission. Dr. Bryson is professor of pediatrics and chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Her funded research currently involves developing clinical trials of new treatments for children with HIV infection and continued work on the mechanisms of mother-to-child transmission. She is a member of the Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the U.S. Public Health Service Maternal Child HIV Task Force.
Dr. Bryson was one of the investigators who studied Nevirapine, an anti-HIV drug that slows down and helps prevent damage to the immune system. Her studies in the late 1990s demonstrated that Nevirapine also reduces AIDS transmission from mothers to their unborn children. Today, the drug remains a primary treatment for preventing maternal-fetal transmission.
Fariba S. Younai, D.D.S. is a clinical professor of oral medicine in the Division of Oral Biology & Medicine at the UCLA School of Dentistry. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the Division. She serves as the director of the Oral Medicine & Orofacial Pain Faculty Practice and the Oral Diagnosis teaching clinic at the UCLA Dental Center. Dr. Younai’s research interests are related to oral health issues among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). More specifically, she has studied patterns of oral disease in high-risk for HIV populations, the socioeconomic determinants of access to oral health care and the degree and nature of service utilization by PLWHA. Dr. Younai is a faculty of the American Academy of HIV Medicine and has developed the oral health curriculum for physicians specializing in HIV Medicine. She has been involved in the development of Dental Treatment Guidelines for HIV positive patients published by the New York State Department of Health and the Standards developed by the American Dental Association. At the local level, she has played a significant role in the creation and implementation of HIV medical care coordination framework in Los Angeles County.
Sharla Smith, MPH, represents the California Department of Education as the HIV/STD Program Consultant. She collaborates with the California Department of Public Health: Office of AIDS, STD Control Branch and the Maternal Child, Adolescent Health Program and provides consultative expertise to county offices of education and local school districts in developing and strengthening policies for implementing HIV/STD prevention education. Coordinate and conduct trainings to ensure that teachers, health educators, nurses, and other school employees who provide HIV/STD and AIDS instruction have current, medically accurate information. Sharla is Co-President of the Health Behavior & Health Education Student Association at University of Michigan School of Public Health. Sharla has presented program materials and data to health professionals at various conferences, including the National STD Conference sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention..
Dr Hurwitz is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a leader in Southern California specializing in advanced, minimally invasive techniques. His reputation for excellence results from years of training and dedication to the compassionate care of his patients. Following graduation from Louisiana State University Medical School in New Orleans, Dr. Hurwitz completed residency, chief residency and surgical oncology fellowship training in the renowned General Surgery training program at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California. He later took additional fellowship training in Advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery at the University of Southern California, before entering practice in Newport Beach, California.
A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American College of Phlebology (the professional organization dedicated to the science and advancement of vein treatment), Dr. Hurwitz is also a leader in the medical community, serving as Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Medical Association, and has been selected as a Delegate to the California Medical Association House of Delegates, an organization advocating for the betterment of health care.