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ASSETS-NY—Anal Dysplasia Screening, Surveillance, Education and Treatment Services of New York: Host Marguerite Urban, MD, is joined by William DeWitt, MD, Clinical Director of Anal Health in Primary Care at Northwell Health, to discuss a new coalition forming in New York City about anal dysplasia. ASSETS-NY aims to bring together people in this field and harness momentum to drive further research and implementation of anal dysplasia and cancer screening, surveillance, education, and treatment in New York State. Be sure to check out the coalition’s website at https://www.screenyourbutt.org/nyc/. Listen Now
Introducing Point-of-Care Testing for Hepatitis C: New York State’s Hepatitis C Dashboard shows that in 2023, 4,783 people were newly diagnosed with HCV in the state, an 8% decrease from 2022. Incidence also decreased, with the rate of new HCV infections dropping from 4.0 to 3.6 per 100,000 population among adult New Yorkers. Despite these gains, progress towards elimination has been stalled by reliance on a multi-step diagnostic algorithm to confirm viremia. In populations with the highest risk of infection—including people who inject drugs—testing and treatment are often inaccessible due to barriers along the care cascade. On June 27, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first point-of-care (POC) HCV RNA test that can be performed where a person receives care, like an outpatient clinic or mobile unit. The availability of POC HCV RNA testing, which can provide qualitative results in 60 minutes, unlocks New York’s ability to integrate a test-and-treat approach where a person can be tested for HCV, and if positive for HCV RNA, be linked to care and potentially receive treatment during the same health care visit. To achieve elimination goals, simplified care that engages people who inject drugs is essential, and single-encounter testing and treatment offers a new tool to significantly expand access, decrease time from diagnosis to treatment, and increase the number of New Yorkers who are treated for HCV. Today’s episode will focus on this new diagnostic tool and its potential impact on HCV elimination across New York. Listen Now
Cannabis and Pregnancy: Based on data from 2023-24, roughly 23% of New Yorkers aged 21 or older reported cannabis use in the past 12 months. Although men generally have a higher prevalence of use than women, recent studies show a narrowing gap as female consumption rises. Despite this trend, research is sorely lacking on the impact of cannabis use on pregnancy, birth outcomes, and overall health. Many advisory panels and organizations advise against the use of cannabis during pregnancy, but there are numerous reasons pregnant people choose to use. On today’s episode, we’ll talk through the evidence and provide best practices for caring for pregnant persons who use cannabis. Listen Now
CROI 2026—Live from Denver: What You Need to Know: The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2026 took place from February 22 to 25 in Denver, Colorado. CROI is an annual scientific meeting devoted to the understanding, prevention, and treatment of HIV/AIDS and the opportunistic infections associated with AIDS. Thousands of leading researchers and clinicians from around the world convene each year for the conference. On this episode, Antonio Urbina, MD, Medical Director for CEI’s HIV Primary Care and Prevention Center of Excellence, reflects on this year’s conference and shares his highlights about exciting developments in the world of HIV prevention and treatment. Listen Now
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