International AIDS Conference to be held in the U.S. from July 22-27

The XIX International AIDS Conference is coming to Washington, D.C., July 22-27. It is the first time in 22 years the conference will be held in the U.S.

Faculty from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are participating in the conference and presenting research. In addition, the Bloomberg School location in Baltimore, Md. (in close proximity to Washington) offers a unique opportunity for journalists to learn about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States.

HIV Research in Baltimore, Md.

Exotic Dancing District and HIV Risk
Susan Sherman, PhD, MPH, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, is examining the physical, social and economic environment of exotic dance clubs on Baltimore's infamous "Block" -a one-block section of downtown Baltimore known for its sex shops and exotic dance clubs. According to Sherman, the club environments and culture play a specific role in generating risk-taking behaviors and are important points of effective interventions.

HIV Surveillance
Danielle German, PhD, MPH, assistant scientist in the Department of Health Behavior and Society, oversees the BESURE Study, the Baltimore arm of CDC's National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Study, in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. BESURE measures HIV prevalence and risk behaviors among men who have sex with men, injection drug users and heterosexuals at high risk.

High-Risk Community Interventions
Carl Latkin, PhD, professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Society, leads a community-based intervention for African-American men who have sex with men. Latkin leads another intervention for HIV-positive drug users that promotes risk reduction, HIV testing, and adherence to medication to reduce the risk and viral load within the social networks. Both interventions rely on recruiting peers to promote healthy behavior throughout the social network.

Source: http://www.aids2012.org/.