The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) and CPC HIV/AIDS Services will be hosting a groundbreaking conference entitled "Effective HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Strategies in Asian & Pacific Islander Communities in the US and China: Persistent Challenges and Promising Future" in collaboration with China AIDS Fund and New York University School of Medicine's Center for AIDS Research. The conference, scheduled for Monday, November 13, 2006, will bring together the foremost experts on HIV/AIDS within the Asian & Pacific Islander community in the United States and China and will begin promptly at 8am with registration and breakfast.

The purpose of the conference is to: 1) promote cross-national dialogue and cooperation to reduce the number of infections within the respective populations 2) advance the visibility and thereby lend awareness to the issue of the growing number of HIV infections within the Chinese populations of China and the United States 3) build a consortium of experts within the field to establish a strong body capable of affecting policy with regards to HIV and Health and 4) share expertise, skills, and knowledge that will empower academic institutions, funding sources, community based organizations, and individuals to be advocates at the local, national, and international level.

Among the topics presented in the full-day conference will be "Future of HIV Vaccine Development", "Update on Current Treatment", "Integrating HIV/AIDS Prevention with Reproductive Health & in Mobile Populations", and "Assessing HIV Prevention Initiatives in China."

The conference will also include panel discussions on the following topics: "HIV in China: Persisting Challenges & Promising Future", "Collaborative Efforts between Government and NGOs on Developing Effective HIV Prevention Models", "HIV and Mental Health" and "Community Perspectives: Social Service and Prevention."

Registration is free before 10/30/06. Thereafter, a $20 fee will be charged. In addition to breakfast, lunch will be provided with a reception to follow the conference.

List of Speakers and Panelists:
- Rob Cheeley, MD: Director, Bless China International
- David Chen: Executive Director, Chinese-American Planning Council
- Sumon Chin: Director, HIV/AIDS Services, Chinese American-Planning Council
- Rita Chow, MD: Medical Director-Immigrant HIV Project, St. Vincent?s Medical Center
- Soraya Elcock, Deputy Director for Policy & Government Relations, Harlem United
- Ming Gao, MD: Director, Division of International Cooperation, National Association of STD/AIDS Prevention and Control, China
- Bates Gill, PhD: Freeman Chair in China Studies, Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Rod Hoff, D.Sc., MPH: Chief, International Research Branch, Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
- Victor Inada, MD: Medical Director, Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS (APICHA)
- Ezer Kang, PhD: Assistant Clinical Professor in Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry), Columbia University
- Mark Parta, MD, MPHTM: Medical Affairs Scientist, SAIC-Frederick; Consultant, NIAID, NIH
- Suki Ports: Founder & Executive Director, Family Health Project
- Edmund H. Pi, MD: Associate Chair, Clinical Affairs Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Cross-Cultural Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology, USC
- Boade Shan, MD: Director, Shandong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China
- Yiming Shao, MD, PhD: Chairman, Committee on Virology, Chinese Society for Microbiology; Chief Expert, National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention; Director, Division of Research on Virology and Immunology, China CDC, China
- Grace Shu, MD, PhD: Vice President, China AIDS Fund; Commissioner, PA HIV Prevention Community Planning Committee
- Mona So: Chair, China AIDS Fund
- Francisco Sy, MD, DrPH: Chief, Office of Community-Based Participatory Research and Outreach, NIH; Editor, AIDS Education and Prevention-An Interdisciplinary Journal
- James Tai: Assistant Director of Development, HIV/AIDS Services, Chinese-American Planning Council
- Fred Valentine, MD: Professor of Medicine and Director, NYU Center for AIDS Research
- Charles P. Wang: President, China AIDS Fund
- Steven Q. Wang, MD: Director of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Founder, China AIDS Orphan Fund

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Founded in 1965, the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) is one of the largest nonprofit providers of educational, social, and community services for Asian Americans in the United States. It now serves over 6,000 people daily through over 70 programs in 32 locations citywide. It administers community services, child care, youth services, workforce development, senior services, home attendant services, housing, and cultural services. CPC's mission is to improve the quality of life of Chinese Americans in New York City by providing access to services, skills and resources toward the goal of economic self-sufficiency and integration into the American mainstream.

Learn more about the conference at www.hivcpc.org.