International AIDS Society-USA Announces Office Move to San Francisco Presidio

International AIDS Society - USA Presidio of San Francisco 1001 B O'Reilly Avenue, Box 29916, San Francisco, CA 94129-0916 Telephone: [phone] Facsimile: [phone] ***FOR YOUR INFORMATION*** Board of Directors Paul A. Volberding, MD University of California San Francisco San Francisco, California Constance A. Benson, MD University of Colorado Denver, Colorado Peter C. Cassat, JD Dow, Lohnes, & Albertson Washington, DC Margaret A. Fischl, MD University of Miami Miami, Florida Harold A. Kessler, MD Rush Medical College Chicago, Ilinois Douglas D. Richman, MD University of California San Diego and San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center San Diego, California Michael A.Saag, MD The University of Alabamna at Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama Robert T Schooley, MD University of Colorado Denver, Colorado Donna M. Jacobsen Executive Dirctor Contact: Donna Jacobsen Executive Director 415-561-6720 415-561-6740 FAX [email protected] December 1, 1997 INTERNATIONAL AIDS SOCIETY-USA ANNOUNCES OFFICE MOVE TO THE SAN FRANCISCO PRESIDIO SAN FRANCISCO, CA - (November 15, 1997) - The International AIDS SocietyUSA (IAS-USA), a national not-for-profit organization based in San Francisco that provides information and education for physicians involved in HJV/AIDS care, has relocated from its current location in downtown San Francisco to a historic building in the Presidio. The San Francisco Presidio, known for its acres of pristine park reserve is most notable as having served for over 200 years as a military garrison and the guardian of the famed Golden Gate Bridge. The new location is part of the Golden Gate National Parks Association project that has set aside a number of buildings for use by not-forprofit, educational, and scientific organizations. One of the most exciting aspects of the IAS-USA's move to the Presidio is the notion of being part of a community that is dedicated to social, educational, environmental, and cultural endeavors. The new office space at 1001B O'Reilly Avenue, behind the former Letterman Hospital just inside Lombard Gate, is also a much needed upgrade for the six year old organization. With thc number of continuing medical education projects and staff continuing to grow every year, the Presidio location offers the room to continuing offering important CME education, producing the Improving the Management ofHIV Disease journal, and convening panels of experts to develop clinical guidelines in areas of HIV medicine where there is controversy or confusion. Paul A. Volberding, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of San Francisco, Director of the AIDS Program at San Francisco General Hospital, Executive Committee Member of the UCSF AIDS Research Institute, and founding Board Chair of the International AIDS Society-USA feels the move will be of great benefit to the organization and the HIV medical community. "Educating physicians is a critical means of improving AIDS care. The exciting benefits of today's therapy require, more than ever, a well-informed health care provider. The move of the IAS-USA to this ideal setting will allow our continuing leadership in meeting the challenges ahead," noted Dr. Volberding.

For the past six years, the IAS-USA has been offering CME education in the US to physicians who are active in providing medical care for people with HIV/AIDS. One program focuses on new data on treatment and HIV pathogenesis; a new case-based series includes issues relevant to day to day management of the disease. These symposia offer comprehensive, clinically relevant, and timely information on the ever evolving challenges of HIV disease management. In November 1996, the IAS-USA was approved by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to be a accredited provider of CME programs for physicians. In addition to CME, the IAS-USA has played an integral role in development of clinical guidelines in HIV care. In response to new data on the applications of antiretroviral therapies, updated guidelines were published in the June 25, 1997 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The recommendations followed the initial treatment guidelines from the same panel that were announced at the XI Conference on AIDS in Vancouver, BC in July 1996. In 1998, the IAS-USA will continue to convene expert panels to issue recommendations in areas where there is controversy or confusion and sponsor CME symposia. The organization will launch an HIV/AIDS physician registry, and a web site. A 1998 update on the antiretroviral treatment guidelines is scheduled to be presented at the XII Conference on AIDS in Geneva, Switzerland next summer. NEW AS-USA CONTACT INFORMATION - The International AIDS SocietyUSA, Presidio of San Francisco, 1001B O'Reilly Avenue, Box 29916, San Francisco, CA 94129-0916. Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected] (general organizational information), [email protected] (continual medical education symposium information), [email protected] (executive director), [email protected] (conference coordinator).