Interview with Dr Papa Salif Sow

Papa Salif Sow, MD, MSc is Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Dakar in Senegal, and since 2002 has also served as Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases.  He is a member of the WHO Guidelines Development Group, the WHO Director-General’s Strategic Advisory Committee for HIV/AIDS , and the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s Technical Review Panel.. Dr. Sow is also a member of the WHO HIV/TB Working Group, President of the African Network of AIDS Physicians in Africa, and Coordinator of the Regional Centre for Research and Training at Fann Hospital, Dakar, Senegal.

Q: Dr. Sow, as a newly elected Governing Council member, how do you see your role as an IAS representative in Africa?
A: I will do my best to represent the IAS in the region; that means making the IAS more known in the region, disseminating IAS policy and activities to communities, scientists and clinicians involved in HIV, as well as politicians, and encouraging them to become members of the IAS and to become involved in all IAS activities.
My aim is to help the region have a good collaboration with the IAS, improve communication, and also contribute to the promotion of IAS activities, such as the newsletter and website, which provide access to relevant information on HIV. I will also be available to facilitate workshops and participate as an IAS representative on regional bodies.

Q: Which of the IAS policy and advocacy priorities are most relevant for your region?
A: All the IAS policy and advocacy priorities are relevant to my region due to the level of HIV infection in Africa. Health system strengthening is a key issue in terms of improving health infrastructure, laboratories’ capacities, human resources, monitoring and evaluation. Also the HIV/TB burden is very important in this region with high prevalence for both diseases.  Combating stigma and discrimination and promoting more social and political science research are also high priorities for Africa. We need to protect the rights of all people living with HIV and to involve more political leaders. In addition, vulnerable groups need to be protected and their rights respected in terms of access to care and treatment. 

Q: What can the IAS do to strengthen its work with the regions?
A: It will be important for the IAS to help organize workshops on HIV/TB, good clinical practice and ethics, and research training in order to help the scientists and clinicians from Africa to improve their knowledge and to be more involved in HIV.
As a representative of the IAS in this region, I will be happy to use the Regional Center for Research and Training in Dakar, for which I am the Coordinator, to contribute to these regional activities. The IAS could also improve the region’s access to HIV information through newsletters and scientific journals, as people in Africa do not have enough money to pay for subscriptions. I will also contribute to developing a strategy for building regional capacity and establishing strategic partnerships with other institutions in the region, in particular with the African Network for AIDS Physicians.
As a member of the WHO HIV/TB Working Goup and as an IAS Governing Council member, I also will focus on the training of clinicians in this area, and on the implementation of TB/HIV activities at all levels of the health system, in order to decrease the burden of HIV in TB patients and to decrease the burden of TB in people living with HIV.. 

Q: Why would you encourage someone to become a member of the IAS?
A: I would urge people to become members of the IAS because the organization is a good and wonderful institution that is fully involved in the fight against HIV.
IAS membership is an opportunity to participate in the International AIDS Conferences, which are the world’s leading forums for debate, discourse and direction for action on HIV. It also provides the opportunity to participate in the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention, a global scientific conference on HIV research, and a chance to network with other scientists and clinicians. This is the ideal occasion for physicians from developing countries to have access to the latest news in terms of care and treatment, second line ARVs, new drugs and new antiretroviral strategies, drug resistance, and clinical trial results. In addition, the IAS website is an excellent forum to help members stay informed. 

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