UTSA, UTHSCSA Dec. 16 lecture focuses on genetic link to HIV/AIDS susceptibility

UTHSCSA Professor Sunil Ahuja

By Christi Fish
Public Affairs Specialist

(Dec. 14, 2009)--As the fourth of the Seminars in Translational Research (STRECH), UTSA and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will host a seminar featuring UTHSCSA Professor Sunil Ahuja speaking on the genetic link to HIV/AIDS susceptibility. Free and open to the public, the lecture is 4-5 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 16 in Biotechnology, Sciences and Engineering Building Room 2.102 on the UTSA Main Campus.

Ahuja will speak on "Probing the Complexity of HIV/AIDS Pathogenesis Through Genetics." He will discuss how researchers are using genetic association studies to assess an individual's susceptibility to a variety of diseases. Specifically, he will address how genetic factors influence HIV/AIDS susceptibility and how this information can improve clinical care for HIV-positive patients. He also will discuss challenges in decoding the genetic factors that increase HIV/AIDS susceptibility and how an epigenetic epidemiology approach might be useful in navigating these challenges.

Ahuja joined the Health Science Center in 1996 and is a professor of medicine, microbiology, immunology and biochemistry. Since 2001, he has served as director of the VA Center for HIV and AIDS Infection at the San Antonio-based South Texas Veterans Health Care System. His laboratory and collaborators at Wilford Hall Medical Center have made significant contributions regarding the host genetic factors that influence susceptibility to HIV/AIDS. Their research has been published in prestigious scientific journals such as Science and Nature Immunology. The Health Science Center honored Ahuja with its highest award, the Presidential Distinguished Scholar Award. He also received the 2009 Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award, among other significant awards.

STRECH is a collaborative project between the Health Science Center Institute for Integration of Medicine and Science Novel Clinical and Translational Methodologies, UTSA Research Center in Minority Institutions and the UTSA-Health Science Center graduate program in biomedical engineering. The monthly seminars bring together investigators from the basic, clinical and social sciences to highlight research discoveries from the laboratory bench to the hospital bedside to the community.

For more information, visit the STRECH Web site.

Events

Tuesday, April 16, 6:30 p.m.

Resiliencia y Más Corazón: Las Tejanas, The Soul of Mexican American Music

This community event is hosted by the UTSA Mexican American Studies Program. It is a lecture/performance that examines the contributions of Tejana musicians to the evolution of Mexican American music.

Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, 922 San Pedro Ave.

Wednesday, April 17, 4:00 p.m.

Text Analysis Using Python

This workshop will introduce participants to the basics of text analysis using Python and Jupyter Notebook on the Constellate Lab platform. We will create datasets in Constellate to analyze patterns, trends, and relationships of contents and more.

John Peace Library (JPL 3.02.32), Main Campus

Wednesday, April 17, 5:30 p.m.

Phi Kappa Phi Hosts Last Lecture with esteemed professor Diane Abdo

What would award-winning writing professor Diane Abdo say if it were her last lecture? Join us for our annual Last Lecture series on Wednesday April 17.

Multipurpose Room (BSE 2.102), Main Campus

Friday, April 19, 11:00 a.m.

Día en la Sombrilla

Día en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.

Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza, Main Campus

April 20-21

Fiesta Arts Fair

Fiesta Arts Fair features contemporary art from more than 100 artists from across the U.S., Fiesta favorite foods, drinks, live music by local and regional performers, and a Young Artists Garden providing opportunities for budding artists to learn, explore and express their creativity.

UTSA Southwest Campus

Wednesday, April 24, 5:00 p.m.

Simplifying Citations With Zotero

Learn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.

Virtual Event

Friday, May 17, 10:00 a.m.

Commencement: Ceremony One

Celebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.

Alamodome

Submit an Event

Spotlight

UTSA’s Mission

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.