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Testimonials in support of HIVTRI and
HIVTRI’s
HIV in South East Europe project
Dr Deniz Gökengin, Izmir, Turkey (Belgrade training, May
2007)
“Bringing together HIV specialists
from the Balkan countries was an excellent idea. I believe that
this will be the first step of intense collaboration and hard work
for the benefit of HIV/AIDS patients in the future.”
Dr Daniela Maric of Serbia writes:
“The HIVTRI training
seminar in Belgrade in May 2007 was a very important HIV meeting
for me. The seminar was very well-organised and it covered most
important issues for proper HIV treatment. As our team from Novi
Sad was in the process of organising the first HIV clinic in Serbia
outside Belgrade, the seminar was perfectly timed. I certainly
found the lectures educational and very useful for daily practice.
The seminar was also a great chance to exchange experience with
other physicians from the region as we do face the same problems
but interestingly most of us have never met before. We were also
able to meet with experienced physicians from other countries who
could help us just starting to treat HIV.
HIVTRI has remained the
connection between the participants even after the seminar. There's
a general feeling they are on a mission to connect people and sometimes
that's all you need to improve yourpractice. It's really reassuring
for us from Serbia that we have somebody to turn to if in need
for a contact or help.
I feel HIVTRI has helped me personally. Thanks
to contacts I made during the Belgrade seminar I was able to apply
for a four month EACS fellowship. Even while doing the fellowship
in London people from HIVTRI were there to help me make contacts
and widen the experience. I should also mention that thanks to
HIVTRI I will be the first physician in Serbia to have training
in treatment of co-infected patients and official training in FibroScan.”
With regards,
Daniela Maric, MD MA, HIV department
Clinic for infectious diseases, Clinical center Vojvodina, Serbia
Prof Josip Begovac of Croatia writes:
“Most of the
countries in South East Europe have a low-level HIV epidemic which
has unfortunately translated into low priority not only for local
governments but also for the international community. There have
been only a few international and almost no European-based initiatives
for HIV training in the Balkans. This is why I welcome the HIV
Training and Resource Initiative that has helped us not only in
training physicians, virologists, nurses and patient advocates
but also in raising awareness for the need to improve patient care
in the whole region.
Because the HIV epidemic in the majority of
countries seems to be still in an initial early stage this region
has a unique opportunity to sustain a low-level epidemic and to
avoid treatment modalities known to be suboptimal. I hope HIVTRI
will be able to continue its work in the region and personally
look very much forward to this collaboration.”
Sincerely,
Josip
Begovac, M.D., Professor of infectious diseases
University of Zagreb Medical School; Head, Reference Center for
HIV/AIDS at the University Hospital of Infectious Diseases; Vice-chair
Croatian National HIV/AIDS Committee; Zagreb, 23.09.2008
Dr Vesna Hadziosmanovic of Bosnia & Herzegovina writes:
“On behalf of
the HIV/AIDS Department, Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo,
I am writing to express my strong support for the programmes that
HIVTRI have already carried out, such as “Crucial
issues in HIV diagnosis and management in South East Europe”,
held in Belgrade, May 2007, for your coordination on translating “National
Guidelines for Clinical Management and Therapy”, according
to the EACS standards, as well as for the other trainings and seminars
from your curriculum.
The trainings surpassed our expectations
and I hope that we will have your enthusiastic support for prospective
initiatives, so that we can connect the valuable insights gained
from your commitment and go into the future with greater foresight
to change and improve capacity of health care providers for the
benefit of people living with HIV/AIDS in Bosnia and Herzegovina
and South East of Europe.
We have especially high hopes for the
regional meeting “Working
Together for Progress”, to be held in Istanbul, April next
year, as well as for “Optimizing HIV Monitoring Technologies“,
to be held in Skopje in October. I also look forward to our continued
commitment as we prepare for the other challenges that are ahead.
We
truly appreciate your dedication and hope you recognize, as we
do, the valuable role you play, therefore we are encouraging your
efforts and lending as much support as possible to your future
projects.”
Respectfully,
Vesna Hadziosmanovic
Prim. Dr. Vesna Hadziosmanovic, Chief of HIV/AIDS Department, Infectious
Diseases Clinic, Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo, www.kcus.net, Bolnicka
str. 25, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Gisele Borelli-Montigny, Munich, Germany (Oxford, July
2007)
“This was
the kindest training I have ever done: because it was not only
technical. It was especially warm and human. I loved it. This is
what our patients need: not just technical, but warmth and humanity.”
Alison Sutton, RN of the United Kingdom writes:
In April 2008, The European HIV Nursing Network
(EHNN) held its inaugural meeting in Warsaw. This exciting new
development was only possible because of the support and funding
that was given and arranged by HIVTRI. I worked with HIVTRI undertaking
admin for the conference on behalf of EHNN and was very grateful
for the logistical knowledge and support I received from Ben and
Robin – particularly
in relation to intricate travel arrangements for delegates from
all round Europe, translation of presentations, undertaking administration
at the conference and numerous other issues.
Alison Sutton
Member of the EHNN Committee, EHNN Admin for the Warsaw Conference
Dr Luminata Ene, Victor Babes Hospital of Infectious
Diseases, Timisoara, Romania writes:
It was a great pleasure to attend the Skopje meeting.
I think this idea of small groups is wonderful. We can interact
and exchange experience. The trainers were great. I hope they might
help us to set up future research plans.
And last but not least
it was a pleasure to meet you again. Good continuation. You are
doing a great job.
Best,
Lumi
Dr Gordana Dragovic Lukic of Serbia writes:
I am writing in support of the above and
their application for funding for future projects in South East
Europe. Mr. Ben Collins, a project manager of The HIV Training
and Resource Initiative (HIVTRI) together with the Dr Mike Youle,
a leading UK clinician, have organized several HIV Educational
trainings for doctors and nurses working in South-East (SE) Europe
(Crucial Issues in HIV Diagnosis and Management in South East Europe
23–25 May 2007, Belgrade,
Serbia; HIV Nursing across Europe: practice and research, 10-11
April 2008, Warsaw, Poland; HIV in South East Europe - Optimising
HIV monitoring technologies, 10 - 12 October 2008, Skopje, FYR
Macedonia) in order to help to improve current HIV/AIDS care and
anticipate future healthcare needs in SE Europe through quality
education, sharing of clinical experience and regional cooperation
between doctors and nurses engaged in the care of people living
with HIV/AIDS.
I have been impressed by their commitment, resourcefulness,
clear focus and desire to make a genuine contribution to the HIV/AIDS
field in post-socialist countries in South East Europe. This is
such a critically important area and we need well trained, motivated
clinicians and scientists in this region to take this subject forward.
There is no doubt in my mind that in future HIVTRI Educational
Seminars for the doctors in the region could be of great value
for all of us living in East Europe facing with tremendous grow
of new HIV/AIDS cases.
Therefore, I give my wholehearted support
to Mr Ben Collins and Dr Mike Youle and their efforts for funding
for future projects in South East Europe.
Yours sincerely,
Gordana J. Dragovic Lukic, MD,
PhD
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacology and Toxicology;
School of Medicine; University of Belgrade
Sylvie Chatelin of France writes:
The HIV Training and Resource Initiative, a not-for-profit
social enterprise committed to education, training and resource
and capacity building, has collaborated with the European AIDS
Clinical Society / EACS since 2007 when the HIVTRI first translated
the EACS guidelines that were published in 2005 in English. The
guidelines were then introduced and discussed in Belgrade in May
2007 during a HIVTRI training session “Crucial Issues in HIV Diagnosis
and Management in South East Europe”. Professor Nathan
Clumeck, EACS Treasurer, in his talk addressed to the participants,
insisted on the importance of the guidelines in helping implement
a standard of care throughout the region.
It was then realised
how much more effective the guidelines would be if translated
into additional languages.
HIVTRI has since then collaborated closely
with the EACS and has translated the guidelines into most European
languages. These are available both on the EACS and on the HIVTRI
websites.
Sylvie Chatelin
EACS Coordinator
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