On Thursday 17 July 2014, a group of 350 academics, researchers, clinical professionals, policy makers and community partners working in the field of infectious diseases and blood-borne viruses came together at UNSW for the second annual Kirby Institute Research Symposium. This year’s symposium was an affiliated event of the 2014 International AIDS Conference, held in Melbourne the following week.
The symposium was officially opened by the Hon. Jillian Skinner, NSW Minister for Health and Minister for Medical Research, and showcased the work of internationally renowned experts presenting on a range of work related to the symposium theme: Global challenges in infectious disease.
The Brett Tindall memorial lecture was given by Professor Steffanie Strathdee, Chief of the Division of Global Public health at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
Among celebrated speakers at the symposium were Australian Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty and French Laureate Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. UNSW Chancellor David Gonski and Kirby Institute Director, Professor David Cooper presented Professor Barré-Sinoussi with an honorary doctorate in recognition of her contribution to HIV/AIDS research.
Barré-Sinoussi offered her "deep thanks" for the accolade, noting that it could lead to more collaboration between her team and colleagues at the Kirby Institute, particularly in Cambodia, where we both have research interests.
"This means a lot, especially since I have known David Cooper since the early 1980s and I know what a lot he has done, he continues to do and will do in the future," she said.
With permission of the speakers, we have made video recordings of the sessions available via the UNSW YouTube channel.
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Laurie Legere