The Future of HIV Care

This month, we're talking about an infrequently discussed, but quite powerful, implement we have in our clinical toolkit for optimizing patient outcomes: our ears. HIV/sexual health physician, researcher, and author Rageshri Dhairyawan, M.B.B.S., FRCP, joins the pod to talk about the nuances of hearing our patients — i.e., listening to them, understanding and acknowledging their concerns, and incorporating it all into HIV care provision in a way that improves their long-term health and keeps them engaged in care.   Please support us by visiting the episode transcript on TheBodyPro: https://www.thebodypro.com/podcast/hiv/future-hiv-care-listening-patients-rageshri-dhairyawan-sep-2025   Our team: This podcast is hosted by Myles Helfand; our senior production manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our senior producer is Lizzie Warren; our associate production manager is Maui Voskova; our audio editor is Kim Buikema; and our executive producer is Myles Helfand.  

This month, we're taking stock of clinically noteworthy developments from the IAS Conference on HIV Science in July. On the docket: new (definitive?) data on the relationship between weight gain and ART; a range of studies on ART strategy, including treatment simplification, injectable ART in viremic patients, intermittent oral ART dosing, and PrEP safety in pregnancy; and a glimpse at updated WHO treatment guidelines. We also discuss the general vibe at this year's meeting — and some big news regarding Laura's professional career.   Please support us by visiting the episode transcript (which includes useful context links to relevant studies): https://www.thebodypro.com/podcast/hiv/future-hiv-care-ias-conference-highlights-aug-2025   The pod people: Our co-hosts are Laura Waters, M.D., FRCP, and Myles Helfand; our senior production manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our senior producer is Lizzie Warren; our associate production manager is Maui Voskova; our audio editor is Kim Buikema; and our executive producer is Myles Helfand.

  This month, we're diving in deep on the U.S. approval of lenacapavir for PrEP -- both the promise it offers in expanding HIV prevention options and the current uncertainty around access, both in the U.S. and abroad. We also discuss growing concern within the HIV clinical community that our gold-standard guidelines for HIV treatment, care, and prevention may be rousted loose from their long-standing home within the Office of AIDS Research at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. And Laura Waters shares what she's most eager to learn about at IAS 2025, the global HIV science meeting that is taking place as this episode drops.   Please support our podcast by visiting the transcript, which includes links to the many references we mention in this episode: https://www.thebodypro.com/podcast/hiv/future-hiv-care-lenacapavir-prep-guidelines-july-2025   The podfolx: Our co-hosts are Laura Waters, M.D., FRCP, and Myles Helfand; our senior production manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our senior producer is Lizzie Warren; our associate production manager is Maui Voskova; our audio editor is Kim Buikema; and our executive producer is Myles Helfand.

This month, we're digging into some recent, clinically notable HIV research in the U.S. that leaves us seeing a complex mix of clouds and silver (or perhaps gold?) linings. Specifically: new findings on ART prescription practices; a study on barriers to rapid HIV treatment initiation; and state-level data on PrEP prescribing trends relative to HIV diagnoses.   Support us by visiting the online transcript: https://www.thebodypro.com/podcast/hiv/future-hiv-care-clouds-silver-linings-june-2025   And watch this touching video from Oslo Pride on the importance of symbols: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVepoXddTW4   The pod production team: Our co-hosts are Laura Waters, M.D., FRCP, and Myles Helfand; our senior production manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our senior producer is Lizzie Warren; our associate production manager is Maui Voskova; our audio editor is Kim Buikema; and our executive producer is Myles Helfand.

In a time of growing uncertainty for the HIV response within the U.S., you may be wondering: What do I do if the public guidelines and resources I rely on to provide HIV-related clinical services cease receiving updates or are permanently removed? Laura and Myles discuss the complexities of our current moment -- and the extent to which our colleagues across the pond in the British HIV Association (BHIVA) can help fill the gap. Laura will also review recent highlights from BHIVA's annual Spring Conference, a cross-disciplinary meeting featuring clinical research and state-of-the-art updates. ° Read the full transcript, which includes a bevy of relevant links: https://www.thebodypro.com/podcast/hiv/future-hiv-care-bhiva-may-2025 ° The pod production team: Our co-hosts are Laura Waters, M.D., FRCP, and Myles Helfand; our senior production manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our senior producer is Lizzie Warren; our associate production manager is Maui Voskova; our audio editor is Kim Buikema; and our executive producer is Myles Helfand.

Myles Helfand and Laura Waters, M.D., FRCP, discuss recently published, clinically noteworthy findings from a trio of venerable HIV cohort studies. First, they review new data from the ATHENA study on non-AIDS events among so-called "HIV controllers." They then move on to recent findings from the START study regarding the link between ART initiation timing and cardiovascular disease risk. Finally, they explore new REPRIEVE data exploring the impact (or lack thereof) of statin use on non-cardiovascular events. ¶ Read (and share!) the full transcript: https://www.thebodypro.com/hiv/future-hiv-care-nuances-matter-april-2025 ¶ The pod production team: Our senior production manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our senior producer is Lizzie Warren; our associate production manager is Maui Voskova; our audio editor is Kim Buikema; and our executive producer is Myles Helfand.

Myles Helfand is joined by new co-host and expert HIV clinician-researcher Laura Waters, M.D., to dig into an issue they had once hoped they would never need to spend a podcast episode discussing: The rapidly unfolding impact of a new Trump administration on both the global fight against HIV and efforts to combat the virus -- and provide care and services -- within the United States.¶ ¶ Full episode transcript and key resource links:  https://www.thebodypro.com/hiv/future-hiv-care-initial-trump-policy-impact¶   TheBodyPro's article on alternate sources of federal HIV data/info:¶  https://www.thebodypro.com/hiv/hiv-data-purge-2025-access-resources¶ ¶ The team: Our podcast hosts are Myles Helfand and Laura Waters, M.D.; our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our senior production manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our senior producer is Lizzie Warren; our associate production manager is Maui Voskova; and our audio editor is Kim Buikema.

You can't truly look to the future without taking time to make sense of the past. That's why our January episode explores some of the most important studies and events of 2024 from an HIV clinical standpoint, and discusses what those highlights mean for HIV care moving forward.¶ ¶ The guest: David Alain Wohl, M.D., a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina and the co-principal investigator of UNC's Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Trials Unit.¶ ¶ The reference materials:¶ ¶ Episode transcript:  https://www.thebodypro.com/hiv/future-hiv-care-wohl-top-10-jan-2025¶ ¶ Wohl's 'Top 10 HIV Clinical Developments of 2024' series:¶  https://www.thebodypro.com/gallery/top-10-hiv-clinical-developments-2024¶ ¶ The team: Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producer is Alex Portaluppi; and our audio editor is Kim Buikema.

GLP-1 Agonists and HIV: Do Weight-Loss Drugs Make Sense for Your Patients?     Three GLP-1 agonist drugs (which originally had been confined to diabetes treatment) are currently FDA approved specifically for weight loss. The rapid uptake of these medications in the U.S. has naturally led to questions within the HIV clinical community about their safety and efficacy in people living with HIV, whose journeys with weight gain and weight loss overlap with the general population but also may differ significantly in a few key ways.   Joining us on the podcast this month to provide some answers is one of the most prominent clinician researchers exploring this topic today: Grace McComsey, M.D., a professor of pediatrics and medicine at Case Western Reserve University, as well as the vice president of research and the associate chief scientific officer at the University Hospitals Health System in Cleveland, Ohio.     Read the transcript: https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-glp-1-agonists-semaglutide     Credits: Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II. This episode's audio was edited by Kim Buikema.

For all too many people living with HIV in the U.S., the prospect of facing incarceration because of their status is not an abstraction: It is a real and present danger. And in many states, it has nothing to do with science. This month, Juan Michael Porter II speaks with Joseph Cherabie, M.D., M.Sc., about why it's so important for clinicians to educate themselves about HIV criminalization laws in their state -- and then work to support and empower their patients while pushing to get these laws removed.     Read the transcript, which includes valuable links to related resources: https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-criminalization     Credits: Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II. This episode's audio was edited by Kim Buikema.

Summer weather is transitioning into sweater weather in most of the U.S., and that means we -- and our patients -- are about to spend a lot more time indoors, inevitably getting exposed to numerous microbes. Accordingly, this month we're talking about vaccinations for people living with HIV: why they're critical, what to consider, how to discuss the topic with your patients, and how to help ensure people living with HIV equitably receive the care they deserve.     Our guests for this episode, which is hosted by Juan Michael Porter II, are Stella Safo, M.D., M.P.H., of Just Equity for Health and Perry Halkitis, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the Rutgers School of Public Health.     Read the transcript: https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-podcast-vaccinations     Credits: Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II. This episode's audio was edited by Kim Buikema.

This month, we’re clearing the air around integrase inhibitors. They are by far the world’s most commonly prescribed HIV drug class -- but that ubiquity has come with long-standing concerns around their potential to cause a range of adverse events, from weight gain to birth defects and more. Our executive editor Myles Helfand speaks with Laura Waters, M.D., FRCP, the head of the British HIV Association, about what the available science tells us.     Read the transcript: https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-podcast-integrase-inhibitors-laura-waters      Credits: Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II. This episode's audio was edited by Kim Buikema.

This month, Juan Michael Porter II speaks with Tristan Barber, M.D., FRCP, about the challenges we face in determining the precise causes of particular health complications in people living with HIV. As importantly, they discuss how a provider can best make sense of these challenges and work through them to continue to provide exceptional, supportive patient care.     Read the transcript: https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-podcast-treatment-tristan-barber     Credits: Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II.

The concept of "patient-centered care" can feel both nebulous and obvious: As a clinician treating a patient, are you not by definition providing patient-centered care? There is a key difference, however, between care that focuses on the patient and care that centers each patient as a unique individual in need of a specifically tailored approach.     This month, podcast co-hosts Myles Helfand and Juan Michael Porter II dig into this issue, and discuss how conversations about achieving long-term successful health outcomes for people living with HIV must start with the most basic of tenets: Believe your patients, trust them, and show that you’re willing to stand up for their rights to existence and equity.     Read the transcript, which includes links to the many sources we reference this month: https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-podcast-trust-your-patients     Credits: Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II. Audio for this episode was edited by Kim Buikema.

Your Patients Are Probably Having Anal Sex. Let's Talk About It.       It’s Pride Month, so we thought: Why don’t we talk about anal health? (Or, as we will frequently refer to it on this podcast, butt stuff?)     We know it’s a taboo, and many of us are uncomfortable discussing it with our patients. But even though it is awkward, when we recognize that HIV transmissions often occur through anal sex -- and that regardless of sex or gender, many people have anal sex at some point, whether they are admitting it or not -- we can appreciate that we really do need to talk about this.     Our guest for this discussion is Jonathan Baker, PA-C, the Operations Director of Clinical Research at Laser Surgery Care and a leading clinical voice on issues related to anal sex and health care.     Read the transcript, which includes links to additional resources you can utilize yourself and share with your patients: https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-podcast-baker-anal-sex     This month’s episode is hosted by Juan Michael Porter II. Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II. Audio for this episode was edited by Kimberly Buikema.

In the United States, some of our most innovative steps forward in HIV care and research are taking place at one of the oldest HIV care facilities in the world. Humbly named Ward 86, this unassuming wing of San Francisco General Hospital opened 40 years ago as the first U.S. clinic dedicated specifically to the treatment of people living with HIV. Since then, it has been at the forefront of a host of initiatives and programs that seek to improve access to HIV prevention and treatment—and to increase the quality of the care we provide.     That mission includes, most recently, a heavy focus on people who are unstably housed; people who are on public assistance; who are dealing with substance dependency; or who have mental illness. The effort underway at Ward 86 aims to prove that these patients are not nearly as “hard to treat” as has often been traditionally assumed.     The medical director of Ward 86, and our guest on the podcast this month, is Monica Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H. She joins us to talk about Ward 86’s recent initiatives and thought-provoking study findings. We’ll also explore whether Ward 86’s approach to care can realistically serve as a model for clinics across the country.     Read the transcript: https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-podcast-15-gandhi-hard-to-treat     This month’s episode is hosted by Myles Helfand. Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II. Audio for this episode was edited by Kimberly Buikema.

This month, we speak with Kathie M. Hiers and Jean Hernandez of AIDS Alabama about how to overcome barriers to care for vulnerable people -- and how administrators and clinicians alike can better ensure that everyone accesses the services they need.     Read the transcript:https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-podcast-16-aids-alabama     This month’s episode is hosted by Juan Michael Porter II. Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II. Audio for this episode was edited by Kimberly Buikema.

This month, we’re going to explore a significant set of recent changes to U.S. HIV clinical guidelines. These changes are momentous in and of themselves, but they also reveal an important ongoing shift in how we fundamentally approach the clinician-patient relationship, especially when it comes to pregnant and infant-feeding people who are living with HIV.     Joining us for this conversation are two people who have been deeply involved in these guideline changes: Lealah Pollock, M.D., and Ciarra (Ci Ci) Covin. Dr. Pollock is an associate professor of Family Community Medicine at the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine, and she’s a member of the expert panel that recently updated the guidelines we discuss. Ci Ci Covin is an HIV advocate and mother of two who has been living with HIV since 2008, and she’s a program manager at The Well Project, a nonprofit organization devoted to informing and supporting women who are living with, or vulnerable to, HIV.     Read the transcript: https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-podcast-15-breastfeeding-chestfeeding     This month’s episode is hosted by Myles Helfand. Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II. Audio for this episode was edited by Kimberly Buikema.

It’s Black History Month, the shortest month of the year. It's not enough to simply talk about racism in health care as an issue or to acknowledge that the house is on fire; at a certain point, one has to formulate a game plan for addressing the issue effectively beyond analyzing data and conducting studies.     We speak with Susan Cole-Haley, an incredible HIV advocate and Black woman who is living with HIV, about her experience and creating a way forward. We also speak with John Schneider, M.D., M.P.H., a white physician who is researching and developing practical applications around HIV within clinical settings to help listeners transform their practices.     Read the transcript: https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-podcast-14-medical-racism-solutions     This month’s episode is hosted by Juan Michael Porter II. Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II. Audio for this episode was edited by Kimberly Buikema.

This month, we take stock of the most notable developments in 2022 that affected HIV medicine and clinical practice in the U.S. — and we'll also take a glimpse at the highlights that 2023 may hold in store. Our guide on this journey is David Alain Wohl, M.D., a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina. He's the author of an annual opus on TheBodyPro in which he delves deeply into the top 10 HIV-related clinical developments of the year.     Read the transcript: https://www.thebodypro.com/article/future-hiv-care-podcast-13-top-clinical-developments     Read David Alain Wohl's Top 10 HIV Clinical Developments of 2022: https://www.thebodypro.com/gallery/gallery/top-10-hiv-clinical-developments-of-2022     This month’s episode is hosted by Myles Helfand. Our executive producer is Myles Helfand; our project manager is Alina Mogollon-Volk; our audio producers/engineers are Alex Portaluppi and Lucy Mueller; and our series editors are Maria Elena Perez and Juan Michael Porter II. Audio for this episode was edited by Kimberly Buikema.