Master in Pathogenesis and Treatment of AIDS and Harvard Undergraduate Research Programme

The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the IrsiCaixa Institute for AIDS Research have reached an agreement to cooperate with the Harvard Global Health Institute and the Ragon Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University Medical School, Boston, USA. In the framework of this agreement a master's programme in Pathogenesis and Treatment of HIV infection will be launched.

06/07/2011

This is an action of the UAB-Campus of International Excellence, which provides a boost to its strategic programs, oriented to internationalisation and excellence in teaching and research. The master's degree offers, for the first time, a wide view in the fields of retroviral virology and immunology with special emphasis on antiretroviral treatment, and a strong focus on ways how to eradicate the virus, including the development of an effective vaccine, and pharmacological approaches. In addition, particular emphasis is also given on other retroviruses and their potential involvement in several human diseases.

Therefore, obtaining such a master's degree which provides a multidisciplinary understanding of HIV infection will be an outstanding opportunity for clinicians and researchers wishing to develop their career in this field. Since some years ago the disciplines of Bioscience in general and Health Sciences in particualr are experiencing an extraordinary momentum in which translational work is playing an ever increasing role and where the clinical aspects are complemented with the knowledge provided by basic research.

Given the experimental and international vocation of this course, the first edition will take place with a limited number of students, who should understand and be able to express themselves in English. As research on HIV is a collaborative international task, this master's degree follows this philosophy, and is organised in cooperation with the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard where students will stay for a time.

In addition, other cooperative actions with Harvard University have been initiated, especially a collaboration with the Harvard Global Health Institute?s International Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (I-SURF) programme. Harvard undergraduate students who apply for this programme can choose to do research abroad, and the UAB-Irsicaixa is now one of the available research sites. In addition, a further cooperation for the exchange of medical students in their last year of Medical School is being developed as well.