World famous HIV expert to talk at UQ

HIV expert Dr Robert Gallo will present a free seminar at The University of Queensland on Thursday August 19 at 7.00pm at the UQ Centre Exhibition Hall, Union Rd, St Lucia campus.

Dr Gallo became world famous after co-discovering that HIV was the cause of AIDS, a finding with phenomenal implications.

Millions of people are affected by HIV and AIDS globally and it has reached epidemic proportions in some countries with potential catastrophic effects.

His breakthrough research two decades ago led to the HIV screening test, allowing for a faster diagnosis of HIV patients, surveillance of their disease progression and the ability to protect blood transfusion recipients for the first time.

Dr Gallo plans to develop a vaccine to protect people against HIV infection and is hoping to adapt this to developing countries.

Other significant research achievements include the discovery of the first human retrovirus and one of the few known viruses capable of causing cancer, the Human T Cell Leukaemia Virus.

His research has also helped in the global war against terror and he has been recruited by the American Government to advise on bioterrorism and biological defence.

Dr Gallo is the Director of the Institute of Human Virology in New York. His research has brought him international fame, election into the National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine, and he has received 19 honourary doctorates from around the world.

His seminar is this year’s ES Meyers Memorial Lecture which is held annually by The University of Queensland Medical Society (UQMS).

The ES Meyers lecture is the Medical Society’s premier academic event and has been held since 1957 in honour of Professor Errol Solomon Meyers, co-founder of the Faculty of Medicine at UQ.

Bookings to attend are essential and can be made by contacting 07 3365 7045 or sending an email to c.havadjia@uq.edu.au

For further information, contact UQMS (telephone 07 3365 5261 or mobile 0403 810 985) or Elizabeth Kerr at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2339 or email: e.kerr@uq.edu.au).