PURPOSE- The annual American Conference for the Treatment of HIV (ACTHIV) is held annually. ACTHIV is the premier conference in the United States dedicated exclusively to educating frontline clinicians about the specific challenges of caring for people in the US living with or at risk for HIV infection. ACTHIV addresses the Healthy People focus areas of: (1) HIV, (2) Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), (3) Immunization and Infectious diseases which encompass Viral Hepatitis and Tuberculosis (TB), and (4) Adolescent Health.  Providing the latest information on HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis for health professionals in a timely manner helps reduce the incidence and prevalence among the most at-risk population groups.

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BACKGROUND- ACTHIV began in 2005, as a collaboration of ten federal agencies, to educate health care providers about HIV treatment and prevention. The purpose of ACTHIV is to address the pressing need for more trained personnel in the U.S. to provide primary care for people with HIV. Educating primary health care providers in the prevention and treatment of HIV and Hepatitis is becoming critically important as a shortage of knowledgeable providers looms. ACTHIV has provided training for 250-600 healthcare workers at each conference.  

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PARTICIPANTS- ACTHIV uses volunteer faculty to provide information for participants including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, social workers, and pharmacists from across the country who provide care to diverse patients, many with HIV disease or who match the demographics of those most at-risk, high-risk heterosexuals (HRH); MSM and transgender individuals of all other races and ethnicities; and injection drug users (IDU).

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GOAL- The goal of ACTHIV is to improve accessibility to treatment and prevention services by increasing the knowledgeable HIV provider workforce in the US. This aligns with the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) to: (1) reduce HIV incidence, (2) increase access to care and optimizing health outcomes, and (3) reduce HIV-related health disparities by increasing the number and diversity of available providers of clinical care and related services for people living with HIV.  

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METHODS- By utilizing state-of-the-science adult learning methods and fostering collaborations and interdisciplinary teamwork, ACTHIV is designed to increase the knowledge and competencies of participants. The annual conference provides in-depth education and timely dissemination of the most up-to-date evidence-based information on HIV and Viral Hepatitis including- incidence and prevalence trends, intervention strategies, screening, treatment, multidisciplinary approaches, current standards and models of care for rapid utilization in the clinical setting.

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OUTCOMES- ACTHIV’s outcomes are aligned with the NCHHSTP goals of eliminating and controlling severe chronic infectious diseases including HIV and Hepatitis. Based on surveys of attendees, the Conference impacts the care of people with HIV through about 10,000 visits weekly or approximately 500,000 patient visits per year. Participants will increase: knowledge about current HIV treatment and prevention; capacity to evaluate the medical needs of individuals presenting for care; knowledge and competency to identify optimal antiretroviral therapies in different populations, including therapy start paradigms and adherence/retention strategies; capacity to analyze the evolving challenges for managing co-infection with HCV and HBV; competency to incorporate strategies into practice in order to provide comprehensive primary medical care for HIV-infected individuals; and knowledge and competence to modify current practices to respond to emerging issues.