CBRC Summit 2022 – Plenary talk on MPX

CBRC’s annual knowledge exchange and capacity building conference on 2SLGBTQ+ health research, programming, and advocacy in Canada takes place online from October 18-20 and in-person on October 27-28. Summit 2022 begins with free online events beginning on October 18, and concludes with a two-day in-person conference held in Vancouver. PI of the Options Lab, Dr. […]

Read more
Long-acting injectable PrEP is a big step forward in HIV prevention

About a year ago, the US approved a new injectable drug that prevents HIV. Long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) was found to be almost 100% effective at preventing HIV. Unfortunately, this new drug is not yet approved by Health Canada. The Future of PrEP is Now, research project, focuses primarily on community readiness for long-acting injectable PrEP […]

Read more
CIHR Rapid Research Response Grant Awarded to the Canada-Africa Mpx Partnership (CAMP)

It is with our absolute pleasure to formally announce that we have secured funding from the CIHR Rapid Research Response Grant for the Canada-Africa Mpox Partnership (CAMP): Characterizing transmission dynamics and evaluating medical countermeasures to inform the clinical and public health response to Monkeypox. Read more about it here. We are very fortunate to have […]

Read more
Call for Candidates – Post-Doctoral Fellows

The CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) is pleased to announce the 2023/2024 competition for the CTN Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards Program. Our team welcomes the opportunity to support applicants from within Canada to the competition. For detailed information on how to apply, download guidelines and application forms: https://www.hivnet.ubc.ca/join-the-ctn/post-doctoral-program/ Thank you À qui de droit, Le […]

Read more
Congratulations Ashan Wijesinghe

Our very own MSc student Ashan Wijesinghe has been awarded the Mingyao Liu Graduate Award valued at $5000 through the 2022-23 Institute of Medical Science Graduate Student Awards Competition! Ashan is also the recipient of the 2022-23 Institute of Medical Science International Fee Subsidy Award valued at $6,000! This deserves a huge congratulations, the Options […]

Read more
The Future of PrEP Is Now – Recruitment has begun!

Focus Group Opportunity for 2SGBQM! New “long-acting” forms of PrEP such as injections, implants, and new types of oral pills are being evaluated in clinical trials, and may soon be available in Canada. Rather than having to take a pill on a daily or “on demand” basis, “long-acting” PrEP could involve injections every 2 months, […]

Read more
Canadian HIV Trials Network – Fall Meeting

Dr. Darrell Tan along side co-lead of the Prevention (PREV) Core, Dr. Trevor Hart and their research associate Cassandra Bertucci had a very successful CTN Fall Meeting which was the first hybrid (in-person/virtual) meeting. This definitely presented some new challenges but overall everything went very well. There were two guest speakers during the PREV Core […]

Read more
Dr Tin Vo awarded a Fellowship with Options Lab!

We are thrilled to announce that Dr Tin Vo was awarded one of the inaugural  professional fellowships by the CIHR 2SLGBTQ+ Health Hub! You can read more about the Health Hub here and here. Tin is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow working with Dr. Allison Needham, Director of Anti-Racism, Equity and Social Accountability at Unity Health […]

Read more
Dr. Oscar Pico Javier Espinosa’s has published a new paper!

Dr. Oscar Pico Javier Espinosa, our very own post-doctoral fellow has published his paper titled: PrEP-related stigma and PrEP use among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Ontario and British Columbia, Canada. The link to the paper will be posted once it goes live. Stay tuned!

Read more
PHAC Funding for Monkeypox Research Secured!

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has awarded $500K to Dr. Marina Klein (McGill University Health Centre) and Dr. Darrell Tan for their proposal, “Catalyzing the Canadian Response to the Emerging Monkeypox Epidemic: Evidence for Action”, under the National Microbiology Laboratory Branch Emerging Issues Program.  This funding will support the launch of a clinical […]

Read more