Barré-Sinoussi served as president of the International AIDS Society from 2012 to 2014. She has long championed better access to treatment in countries with limited resources and is known worldwide for her commitment to communities affected by HIV. She also mobilized the scientific community behind the goal of eradicating the virus.
Her connection to Montreal’s HIV/AIDS research community runs deep. In 2010, she became an honorary researcher at the CHUM Research Centre. In 2012, she invited Nicolas Chomont to join her “Towards an HIV Cure” initiative; together, they published scientific recommendations for the development of curative treatments in 2012 and 2016.
Since its creation in 2014, she has supported the pan-Canadian CanCURE consortium, led by professor Éric Cohen and based at UdeM. Her collaboration with Mark Wainberg, who served as president of the International AIDS Society from 1998 to 2000, is another Montreal connection.
Barré-Sinoussi’s work has reshaped the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic. Her efforts made HIV research a global priority and helped transform HIV from a fatal diagnosis in the 1980s to a manageable chronic condition since 1996.