UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine has been selected as the new home of the North Carolina AIDS Training and Education Center. The NCATEC, federally funded through the Ryan White CARE Act, will be responsible for the education and training of the state’s health care providers in HIV treatment and prevention.
“UNC is an excellent place to house the NCATEC. We provide care to thousands of HIV-infected North Carolinians and have worked to establish cooperative relationships with health care providers across the state,” said David Wohl, MD, associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, which houses and administers the center. “HIV medicine has become a very dynamic field and our mission is to keep all North Carolina clinicians on the cutting edge of treatment and other HIV health topics,” said Wohl, who directs the center.
UNC will draw on its long-standing reputation as a national and international leader in HIV medicine and research. Providing training and resources for providers is crucial to enhance the quality of HIV care in the state.
More than 35,000 people in North Carolina are HIV-infected and the state ranks tenth in the nation in terms of AIDS diagnoses and eighth in terms of HIV mortality. While the Triangle area and major cities like Charlotte have nationally recognized HIV medical care and research centers, many of which are affiliated with UNC, the southern epidemic is becoming increasingly rural, and the providers serving them face additional challenges. The NCATEC will work to keep all North Carolina doctors, nurses and other HIV providers current and connected by focusing on remote learning technologies such as webinars and blogs to link health care providers and to share developments in the field.