Location:
The Kirby Institute Level 6 Seminar Room Wallace Wurth Building UNSW Australia Sydney NSW 2052
Open to
All
Contact for enquiries
Rata Joseph +61 (0)2 9385 0900 rjoseph@kirby.unsw.edu.au
The Kirby Institute is pleased to present:
Mr Emmanuel Fortier
“Social functioning and the HCV care cascade among people with a history of injecting drug use”
Tuesday 24th March 2015
1pm - 2pm
Abstract:
The Enhancing Treatment for Hepatitis C in Opioid Substitution Settings (ETHOS) is a prospective observational cohort of people with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and a history of injecting drug use, recruited through nine community health centres and opioid substitution treatment (OST) clinics in New South Wales, Australia. Factors impacting treatment intent, specialist assessment and treatment uptake for HCV infection will be discussed with an emphasis on social functioning and living arrangement as major factors. Further, factors associated with social functioning among this population will be presented. This presentation will highlight the need for the development and implementation of strategies targeting people who inject drugs with lower social functioning to enhance HCV treatment intent and specialist assessment. Further, strategies to enhance social support may play a role in increasing uptake of HCV treatment.
Biography:
Emmanuel Fortier is currently enrolled in a combined MD-PhD program at the Université de Montréal, in collaboration with the CHUM Research Center (QC, CAN). He joined the Kirby Institute in August 2014, as a visiting trainee within the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program. His research activities are concentrated on epidemiology, biostatistics and public health. Mr Fortier is leaving the Kirby Institute at the end of May for Montreal to continue his PhD and medical degree. He his supervised by Prof. Julie Bruneau in Montreal, and co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Jason Grebely at the Kirby Institute.