Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

HIV is increasingly considered a chronic disease. As people with HIV are living longer they may experience a variety of health-related challenges associated with HIV, aging and other chronic. These challenges may be termed disability, including symptoms and impairments, difficulties with day-to-day activities, challenges to social inclusion, and uncertainty about health status, all of which can fluctuate on a daily basis or over the entire life course. The overall goal of this research program is to profile the disability experienced by people living with HIV (PLWH) and determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions in order to advance care, programs, policy and practice. Specific objectives are: 1) to better understand the comorbidities and episodic disability experienced by people living with HIV (PLWH); 2) to determine the effectiveness of community-based exercise to reduce disability and enhance health for PLWH; and 3) to strengthen clinical and research partnerships between Canada and Ireland through the Canada-International HIV and Rehabilitation Research Collaborative. Results will yield the first profile of disability providing evidence on the burden of aging with HIV and multi-morbidity; and produce the first known HIV-specific CBE intervention in Canada evaluated for effect and translation into the 'real-world' community. Forming partnerships and exchanging knowledge with others in countries with individuals experiencing similar types of disability is essential in order to build capacity from research in this emerging field. Collaborations between Canada and Ireland will better position Canada to build on our strengths as international leaders in HIV research to foster longstanding international HIV research partnerships with stakeholders between Canada and Ireland with the overall goal to enhance HIV care and treatment among people living with HIV.