This year's BHIVA Autumn Conference was once again held at the QEII Centre in the heart of London. The conference was considered extremely successful and received very positive feedback from delegates. The Autumn Conference was preceded by the Hepatology Highlights for the Healthcare Specialist in collaboration with BVHG.
Delegate feedback from the Autumn Conference reported that the programme contained many interesting and thought provoking presentations and that these were highly relevant to the professional and educational needs of the audience. Almost 400 delegates attended the conference, including 50 community/voluntary sector complimentary registration places.
'Overall, I thought the conference was excellent. It was very interesting and I believe I learned a lot'
'Really enjoyable and clinically very useful Good speakers'
'The Conferences App was excellent'
Conference Programme
The conference programme covered a wide range of topics relevant to HIV, including updated BHIVA Standards of Care and Audit sessions. Other topics that were covered included Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease and cancer, Surrogacy challenges for people with HIV, Dementia diagnosis and classification, Bone marrow transplants. The conference also contained lectures on best practice management, interactive clinical conundrums and Clinico-pathological case presentations, which were presented during the very popular BHIVA lunchtime workshops. The BHIVA Foundation Lecture covered 'Vaginal microbiome'.
Our international speakers included Dr Alberto Garcia-Basteiro from the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM), Mozambique and Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Spain and Dr Kelly O'Brien, University of Toronto, Canada.
Dr Alberto Garcia-Basteiro
Dr Kelly O'Brien
Events
As usual, a drinks reception was held on the Thursday evening and this event was well attended and enjoyed by all.
Prizes and Awards
There were a number of awards presented at this year's Autumn Conference.
BHIVA Research Awards
Originally launched in 2006, the BHIVA Research Awards are open, through competitive application, to all BHIVA members for research projects that impact on the improvement of clinical care and management of people living with HIV in the UK. A minimum of £30,000 per annum is available, to be distributed amongst the successful applicants according to the quality of the submitted proposals, with a maximum of £10,000 award per application. The awards panel is chaired by an independent chair. Applications for grants or funding for research or other projects made directly to the Association are reviewed by the BHIVA Executive Committee at its meetings and considered based on merit and their relevance to the objectives of BHIVA.
BHIVA received ten research award applications from its members in 2018, the standards of which were extremely high. BHIVA provided research awards to five UK-based projects members and awarded a total of £39,249.00. The BHIVA Research Awards 2018 are part-funded by Gilead Sciences. BHIVA is also grateful for donations from BHIVA members. The Winners of the BHIVA Research awards 2018 are:
Dr Poala Cicconi, University of Oxford
Miss Maryam Khan and Dr Borja Mora Peris, Imperial College London
Dr Ming Jie Lee, Guy's and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London
Dr Daisy Ogbonmwan, New Croft Centre, Newcastle
Dr Brendan Payne, Newcastle University
Left to right: Dr Poala Cicconi, Dr Borja Mora Peris, Miss Maryam Khan, Dr Daisy Ogbonmwan, Dr Ming Jie Lee, Dr Brendan Payne, Professor Caroline Sabin
The Brian Gazzard Lectureship in HIV Medicine
The lectureship was set up by BHIVA in honour of its Founding Chair, Professor Brian Gazzard, and is now in its 13th year. The lecture is selected to be presented from a short list of proposed topics and eminent speakers put forward for consideration by the BHIVA Conferences Subcommittee.
This annual prize was awarded to Dr David Dockrell, University of Edinburgh, for his presentation 'How HIV alters macrophage responses to bacteria and other diseases'.
Professor Chloe Orkin and Dr David Dockrell
The BHIVA Don Jeffries Research Award
In 2012, as a memorial to Professor Donald Jeffries OBE, the BHIVA Education and Scientific Subcommittee instituted an award for the top-scoring project in the BHIVA Research Awards applications. This award has been set up in perpetuity, to honour Professor Jeffries' unerring support of the British HIV Association.
This annual prize was awarded to Dr Poala Cicconi, University of Oxford for her presentation 'REACH UP (RE-evaluation of Annual Cytology using HPV testing to Upgrade Prevention): a feasibility study in Women Living With HIV'.
Dr Poala Cicconi and Professor Caroline Sabin
BHIVA Best Case Presentation Awards
Two awards from presentations made during the case presentation lunchtime workshops held on Thursday. Overall the standard was extremely high and as it was difficult to select one winner, both case presentations won!
Winner - BHIVA Best Clinico Pathological Case Award
If the problem is more than just skin deep, don’t make a rash decision
Dr Laurence Dufaur, Barts Health NHS Trust, London
No body expects the Spanish Inquisition
Dr Tamara Elliott, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London
Dr Laurence Dufaur, Dr Tamara Elliott and Professor Caroline Sabin
The BHIVA Social Media Acknowledgement 2018
BHIVA would like to thanks the following colleagues for their contributions to the conference social media activity:
Dr Sean Cassidy, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London
Dr Muge Cevik, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
Dr Matthew Page, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham
Dr Emma Wallis, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Acknowledgements
During the conference a formal thank you was made by the Chair of the British HIV Association to the full BHIVA Conferences Subcommittee. In addition the following Committee Members were presented with gifts of appreciation:
Mr Paul Clift and Dr Ranjababu Kulesagaram (Conference Local Hosts)
Dr Laura Waters (Chair of the BHIVA Conferences Subcommittee)
Dr Melinda Tenant-Flowers (Retiring Chair, BHIVA e-Learning Working Group)
Dr Ann Sullivan (Retiring Honorary Secretary)
Professor Chloe Orkin, Mr Paul Clift and Dr Ranjababu Kulesagaram
Professor Chloe Orkin and Dr Laura Waters
Dr Melinda Tenant-Flowers and Professor Chloe Orkin
Professor Chloe Orkin and Dr Ann Sullivan