July 3, 2019 Print
Bethany Horsburgh, a PhD student from The Westmead Institute for Medical Research and University of Sydney, has been nominated to be a youth ambassador at the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science.
PhD Student Bethany Horsburgh will be one of twenty-five youth ambassadors at the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science.
Bethany will be one of twenty-five youth ambassadors – researchers, advocates and activists who are dedicated to ensuring that young people with HIV, and young people who are researching or advocating for HIV are heard at international meetings.
“I’m very, very honoured to be nominated as a youth ambassador,” Bethany said.
“I’m passionate about bridging the gap between the scientific community and broader community through communication and advocacy.
“It’s very exciting to have the opportunity to work with prominent youth advocates and activists.
“I’m also really honoured that my work is being recognised at an international level, particularly because I’m still quite early in my research career.”
Bethany also received a merit-based scholarship to attend the conference, where she will present her research on HIV reservoirs.
“HIV reservoirs are where HIV ‘hides’ in the body to avoid detection by the immune system.
“By hiding, it is possible for HIV to activate and re-infect the body when an infected person stops treatment.
“I’ll be focusing on our latest research, which used longitudinal full-length HIV sequencing in an effort to understand how the reservoir is maintained. We have been investigating blood samples over a period of four years to see what may have changed with time.
“I’m thrilled to be contributing to the conference, and grateful to share our latest research with such a wide audience of experts, advocates and activists.”
Congratulations, Bethany!
The 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science is one of the largest international HIV conferences. It will be held in Mexico City from 21-24 July.