“What’s the Diagnosis Doc?” was the title of a breakout session I attended in San Francisco on September 2nd during the 20th anniversary convention of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA). The session focused on LGBT health in general, but HIV/AIDS was covered in detail.

From left in the photo: Eric Verdan, MD, from the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology; JoAnne Keatley, MSW, from the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health; Albert Liu, MD, MPH, from the San Francisco Department of Public Health; and NLGJA member and freelance writer Chuck Colbert, who moderated the panel.

Topics covered included the differences between pre- and post-exposure prophylaxsis (PEP vs. PrEP); the details on the vaginal microbicide news announced in Vienna at the XVIII International AIDS Conference and the possible implications for developing a comparable rectal microbicide; and the challenges of transgender health, including the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on the transgender community.

As always, I greatly appreciated having HIV/AIDS included at the NLGJA convention.