HIV Clinical Topics in Antiretroviral Therapy 2026

Josep M Llibre, MD, PhD, received his MD in the Universitat de Barcelona, and obtained his specialty in Internal Medicine and his PhD in the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. He is a member of the panel of Antiretroviral treatment guidelines at the GeSIDA group (AIDS group of the SEIMC Spanish society), and an expert advisor of the Catalan Health Institute (ICS) on antiretroviral treatment and hepatitis C (PADEICS). He started caring for patients with HIV/AIDS at the beginning of the epidemic in Spain in 1987. His main areas of interest in HIV Medicine include the clinical implications of HIV-1 resistance, the analysis of safety and efficacy in HIV-1 antiretroviral treatment clinical trials (both in naïve and pre-treated patients), with a special interest in drug efficacy and pharmacoeconomics, and hepatitis C co-infection. He has published widely in journals and book chapters, as well as HIV/AIDS medical webs, on clinical aspects of HIV-1 treatment and care, HIV-1 resistance, clinical reviews, positioning papers, treatment intensification and simplification strategies, and participated in many pivotal clinical trials. He has also published in basic science research journals. He collaborates as an editor and/or peer-reviewing with many top international medical journals. He is involved in HIV Medical Educational training in Spain and other European, as well as Asian Countries.

Cristina Mussini has been Full Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy since 2011. She is also the Director of the Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico, in Modena, Italy. She received her degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Modena in 1987 and completed a specialization in infectious diseases in 1990.

Cristina has published more than 200 papers in index journals with a total of above 900 and with an H-index of 55 (Google Scholar).

Cristina is a long-standing member of several organizations, including: the National AIDS Committee of the Italian Ministry of Health from 2009 to 2016; the Governing Board of the European AIDS Clinical Society since 2000; and the Scientific Committees for the European AIDS Conferences, HIV Glasgow and the Icona Cohort Study since 2008. She is Chair of the ESGIE, the ESCMID Study Group for Infections in the Elderly.

University of Bonn, Germany

Cristiana Oprea MD, Ph.D. is Associate Professor at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, a practicing specialist in infectious diseases and the Head of the Clinical Infectious diseases Department I at “Victor Babes” Hospital for Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Bucharest, Romania.

Since 1993, the peak of the paediatric HIV epidemic in Romania, Dr Oprea has been actively involved in the management and treatment of children belonging to the Romanian HIV paediatric cohort (infected by parenteral mode in their first years of life, in the late ‘80s), continuing with adolescents and young adults, then facing the new HIV epidemic in injecting drug users and MSM and the increase in HIV/TB cases.Dr Oprea’s research interest is focused on HIV and opportunistic infections, co-infections with viral hepatitis, HIV in women and MTCT of HIV, and Standards of care for HIV and Co-infections in Central and Eastern Europe.

Dr Oprea was involved in research projects and clinical trials on treatment of HIV and hepatitis and in PENTA. She is a member of EuroSIDA Steering Committee and of the scientific committee of WAVE (women against viruses in Europe). She was part of the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) Governing board between 2014-2024 and of the scientific committee of ECCMID between 2018-2022. She is currently chair of the panel of opportunistic infections section for the EACS guidelines and co-chair of the EACS Standard of care meeting for HIV and coinfections.

Infectious Diseases Specialist, both in outpatient and inpatient settings. Infectious Diseases teacher in Lisbon School of Medicine, University of Lisbon.

Dr. Felice Cinque is a clinician-scientist, specialist in internal medicine and currently enrolled in the final year of the PhD program in clinical research at the University of Milan. He completed a research fellowship at McGill University in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Infectious Diseases in 2023. His work focuses on metabolic and chronic liver disease, particularly MASLD in vulnerable populations such as people living with HIV and individuals with diabetes, with a strong emphasis on obesity care and the integration of patient-reported outcomes to advance patient-centered approaches in hepatology and HIV medicine. He is also an advocate for the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in medicine and research.

Dr Gary Whitlock is a consultant in sexual health and HIV and former Service Director at 56 Dean Street, a renowned clinic located in Soho, London. He has extensive experience in the field of sexual health, with a particular focus on HIV care, prevention, and treatment and GBMSM sexual health, including high-resolution anoscopy.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr Whitlock is actively involved in public health initiatives related to HIV prevention, including the promotion of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), and the development of strategies to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV. He is also known for his involvement in the implementation of cutting-edge sexual health management in the LGBTQ+ community, including rapid HIV testing, early diagnosis and rapid initiation of antiretroviral medication.

He has a PhD from the University of Cambridge and promotes research in sexual health and HIV at 56 Dean Street leading studies on PrEP, rapid diagnostics for STIs, HIV cure and HIV treatments and chemsex.

He is also active in professional education and training, having been an invited speaker at over 70 international conferences and meetings, contributing to the ongoing development of healthcare professionals working in sexual health and HIV medicine.

Georg Behrens is Professor for T Cell Immunology at Hannover Medical School, Germany. He is specialist in internal medicine, immunology and infectious disease and trained at the Immunology Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia.

He is principal investigator of national and international studies in HIV medicine and was president of the German AIDS Society from 2011-2019. For many years, we was Board Member of the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) and chair of the EACS Treatment Guidelines. He is NEAT-ID steering committee member, co-chair of the TTU-HIV within the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), and chair of the MD/PhD Program Molecular Medicine.

Dr. Gandhi is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Director of HIV Clinical Services and Education at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Dr. Gandhi is  site leader of the MGH AIDS Clinical Research Site in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). He is also the Co-Director and Principal Investigator of the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). Dr. Gandhi is a member of the NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel. He is also a scientific member of the Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents, and Chair of the International Antiviral Society-USA Panel on Antiretroviral Drugs for Treatment and Prevention of HIV in Adults. Dr. Gandhi is Editor-in-Chief of NEJM Journal Watch Infectious Diseases. Dr. Gandhi graduated from Harvard Medical School, completed his medical residency and chief residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and his infectious diseases fellowship training at Johns Hopkins Hospital.  He has been on the faculty of the Infectious Diseases Division at MGH since 2000.

Stefano Rusconi M.D. is associate professor in infectious diseases at the DIBIC, University of Milan, Italy, since February 1, 2015. He got post-graduate specialties in allergy & clinical immunology and infectious diseases. He is Chief of I.D. Unit, Legnano General Hospital since February 1, 2021.

Susanne Dam Poulsen is professor of infectious diseases at Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Copenhagen Rigshospitalet. She has worked with HIV, inflammation, and immunology for since 1994, and the last decade she has focused on HIV-related comorbidities, including CVD and chronic lung diseases. She leads a research team that studies HIV-related comorbidities, and she is the PI of the Copenhagen Comorbidity in HIV (COCOMO) study. She is the co-author of more than 300 scientific publications, and she has mentored 32 PhD students.
Since 2023 Susanne Dam Poulsen has been the co-chair of the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) HIV comorbidities guideline panel.

Teymur Noori is a psychologist and works at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) as an expert on monitoring and evaluation. He is primarily responsible for monitoring the HIV response in Europe and Central Asia, including monitoring the continuum of HIV care and supporting efforts to monitor the response to viral hepatitis in the EU/EEA. He has recently led efforts to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework for COVID-19 surveillance, preparedness and response indicators in the EU/EEA. Teymur is also leading ECDC work on migrant health and infectious diseases. He recently led ECDC work to develop guidance on screening and vaccination of infectious diseases among newly arrived migrants in the EU/EEA as well as guidance on infection prevention and control of COVID-19 in migrant and refugee reception centres in the EU/EEA.

Dr Tom Levett is Associate Professor of Medicine and Frailty at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, UK, where he completed his PhD exploring the prevalence and predictors of frailty in older adults living with HIV. He works clinically as an Honorary Consultant Geriatrician at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton where he is co-lead of the joint HIV-ageing Silver Clinic which has been running since 2012. His research interests include ageing and comorbidities in those with HIV, ageing services in HIV, and medical education. Tom is Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning for Brighton and Sussex Medical School where he leads their medical degree programme