POSITIVELY AWARE MARCH/APRIL 2011
Contributors
Joel Gallant, MD, MPH is Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases, and Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins AIDS Service, and author of the book, 100 Questions & Answers About HIV and AIDS. In the last year, Dr. Gallant has served on scientific advisory boards or acted as a paid consultant to Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, Merck & Co., Tibotec Therapeutics, and ViiV Healthcare. He serves on Data Safety Monitoring Boards or Endpoint Review Committees for Gilead Sciences and Sangamo Biosciences. Johns Hopkins University has received research grants from Gilead Sciences for clinical trials being conducted by Dr. Gallant.
Michael Low, PharmD grew up in a small rural town in Minnesota. He earned his BA at Concordia College in Moorhead, and his PharmD at the University of Minnesota. He is the Clinic Pharmacy Manager for the on-site Walgreens located across from The Doctors Uptown-Allina Clinic in Minneapolis. He specializes in HIV, hepatitis, MS, and oncology. His aim is to use his talents and resources to empower each patient to improve their health and quality of life.
Swarup Mehta, PharmD, MBA, AAHIVE was born and raised in Naperville, Illinios. He earned his PharmD and MBA at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in 2002. After graduation, Swarup worked for Walgreens Pharmacy in many Chicagoland locations. He is currently the Clinic Pharmacy Manager for Walgreens at Northstar Medical in Chicago. There, he specializes in and counsels on HIV, hepatitis, and oncology. He is also an immunizer and offers a variety of vaccinations at his clinic. He has served on the TPAN board for four years and is the co-chair of the fundraising committee. Swarup received the 2009 Outstanding Health Care Advocate of the Year award from the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago.
A survivor of AIDS and cancer for over 25 years, Jeff Taylor got his start in HIV research advocacy when he enrolled in the first AZT trials at the AIDS Clinical Trials Group back in the late 80’s. He went on to serve on their advisory board, and currently serves on the National Cancer Institute’s AIDS Malignancy Consortium, UCSD Antiviral Research Center, and on the DHHS Antiviral Guidelines Panel. With fellow activists in the AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition Drug Development Committee, he works with pharmaceutical companies, the FDA, and academia to advocate for more research and better HIV treatments. At home in Palm Springs, he produces a monthly HIV treatment education program.
PA Associate Editor Enid Vázquez has worked on the HIV drug guide since its inception in 1997 (when her sister Sylvia appeared on the cover), and each year looks forward to writing up the latest news, good or bad. She earned her B.A. in journalism from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and has worked as an intern for The Chicago Reporter and a cub reporter for The Hartford Courant. Her freelance work has appeared in publications around the country.
