Illinois: Rush Hospital Treats, Researches HIV/AIDS

The Section of Infectious Diseases at Rush University Memorial Hospital has provided Chicagoans with high-quality HIV/AIDS care since 1984, while concurrently growing its reputation as a top research institution.

"We look at effectiveness, availability, and what's trending," said Craig Johnson, community health promoter at Rush. "The doctors and researchers here are really on top of what's new and what's next."

A special focus is studying historically under-represented at-risk populations, said Johnson. "If we know that a broader number of African Americans, Latinos, and women are getting infected, but that number is not getting more involved in research, then we're looking at a disparity in the pool," he noted. "When others are trending down, why are these groups going up?" Other research has looked at gender and racial differences in the efficacy of certain medicines.

The hospital works with community partners such as the South Side Help Center and the Black Treatment Advocates Network to recruit research participants. Johnson stresses that patients who enroll in clinical trials receive antiretroviral medication plus supplemental medical care.

To learn more about clinical trials at Rush, visit www.rush.edu.

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