Julio S. G. Montaner MD, DSc(hon), FRCPC, FCCP, FACP, FRSC, OBC

Dr. Montaner has focused his research on the development of antiretroviral therapies and management strategies. In the mid-’90s, as the PI of the INCAS Trial, he played a key role in establishing the efficacy of NNRTI based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which emerged as the new global Standard of Care at the 1996 Vancouver International AIDS Conference, of which he was a co-organizer. He then focused his attention on HAART access to hard-to-reach populations, including injection drug users, and the treatment of multiple drug-resistant HIV infections with great success. Since the late 90’s he also pioneered the concept of Treatment as Prevention (TasP). He was the first to advocate for the expansion of HAART coverage to curb the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, in terms of decreasing progression to AIDS and death, as well as decreasing HIV transmission. Largely through his efforts, TasP® has now been implemented with great success in BC, and progressively embraced by UNAIDS, China, PEPfAR, the US Government, and France, among others. In 2013, TasP® was fully incorporated in the WHO Consolidated ARV Guidelines.