The 40th Anniversary of HIV and AIDS – How We End The Epidemic

40 Years of HIV and AIDS: Incredible advancements have been made in the way we treat and manage HIV compared to the earliest days of the crisis, but there are still significant barriers preventing us from ending this epidemic. Returning guest, Dr. Kimberly Smith, Head of Research & Development for ViiV Healthcare discusses the research and innovation that is changing how HIV will be treated in the future, the current issues that still impact the HIV community, and the barriers that are preventing us from ending the HIV epidemic.

As a physician and researcher dedicated to ending the HIV epidemic, Kimberly Smith has made it her life’s work to answer the unmet needs of those living with HIV. She began her career at the start of the HIV crisis as a clinician in Chicago, Illinois at Rush University Medical Center, where she focused on addressing the gender and racial disparities that are endemic to the HIV community. Her foundation on the frontlines of HIV care has guided her patient-focused approach to innovative science to advance treatment and care for all people living with HIV.

Today, as the Head of Research & Development for ViiV Healthcare, Kimberly Smith upholds this mission by leading the research and development of new treatments and prevention options that are driven by the twin goals of changing the treatment paradigm and leaving no person living with HIV behind. In her seven-year tenure, she has revolutionized how we fight this epidemic by developing the first-ever, long-acting HIV treatment and prevention options that may be taken as little as six times per year.