Conversations with CEI

In this episode, Dr. Antonio E. Urbina, Medical Director for CEI’s HIV Primary Care and Prevention Center of Excellence, provides an overview of three new two-drug regimens: daily doravirine/islatravir, daily BIC/LEN, and once-weekly lenacapavir/islatravir. Related Content: CEI Line: 1-866-637-2342 ceitraining.org Hivguidelines.org https://viremic.org/episodes/case-30-problem-solving-with-new-arvs/transcript

Erica Bostick, MD is joined by guest speaker Susan Wiener, MD, MPH for this episode of “Conversations with CEI.” Dr. Susan Wiener is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University of Rochester. She is a board-certified pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist. Her clinical expertise includes sexual/reproductive healthcare and caring for adolescents with eating disorders. Dr. Wiener is passionate about reducing adolescents’ barriers to receiving the care that they need, empowering young people to make decisions about their own health and promoting health equity. Her research interests include sexual health education and person-centered counseling skills. Listen as they discuss person-centered contraceptive counseling, how stereotypes and other biases may get in the way (and mitigation strategies) and how to adapt your current contraceptive counseling practice to be patient-centered.  Related Content:  CEI Line: 1-866-637-2342 ceitraining.org American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists American Academy of Pediatrics Ross LJ, Solinger R. Solinger R, Bridges KM, Luna Z, Tapia R. Reproductive justice: an introduction. Oakland: University of California Press; 2017 https://www.sistersong.net/statements/2025/8/14/long-acting-reversible-contraceptionstatement-of-principles https://picck.org/ Bryson, Amandaa,b; Koyama, Atsukoc,∗; Hassan, Areeja,b,∗. Addressing long-acting reversible contraception access, bias, and coercion: supporting adolescent and young adult reproductive autonomy. Current Opinion in Pediatrics 33(4):p 345-353, August 2021. | DOI: 10.1097/MOP.0000000000001008

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic versions of testosterone, and like naturally produced testosterone, they can increase male sex characteristics and help build muscle. They are prescribed for low testosterone, delayed puberty and muscle loss from severe illness, among other things. But AAS are also used regularly – particularly among gay, bisexual and queer men – without a prescription to gain muscle and improve physical appearance. The health impact of use varies from injection-site infection to sexual dysfunction and high blood pressure, and many people who use AAS have developed creative ways to mitigate risk. Today’s episode will introduce AAS as performance enhancing drugs and provide harm reduction strategies that clinicians can employ to mitigate risks associated with their use. Related content:  Kutscher E, Arshed A, Greene RE, Kladney M. Exploring Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Use Among Cisgender Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 May 1;7(5):e2411088. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.11088. Kutscher E, Arshed A, Greene R, Kladney M. Exploring Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids Use Among Cisgender Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2025 Feb 1;267:112112. Kutscher E, Arshed A, Greene RE, Kladney M. Harm Reduction Techniques among Cisgender Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men Using Anabolic Androgenic Steroids: A Qualitative Study. Harm Reduction Journal. 2024;21:196. doi.org/10.1186/s12954-024-01121-8. Kutscher E, Silverman E, Bachi K. Anabolic Androgenic Steroids: Emerging Use Disorder, Mechanisms of Action, and Clinical Considerations for Pharmacotherapy. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2026 Spring;24(2):168-178. doi: 10.1176/appi.focus.20250045. Clinical decision tool for providers and patients: https://aas-87py.onrender.com/#/providers/ CEI Line: 1-866-637-2342 https://ceitraining.org/

AIDS 2026, the 26th International AIDS Conference, was held on July 26-31 in Rio. In this episode, Dr. Antonio E. Urbina, Medical Director for CEI’s HIV Primary Care and Prevention Center of Excellence, summarizes the clinical highlights from AIDS 2026, focusing on new HIV treatments and prevention strategies. Related content: CEI Line: 1-866-637-2342 https://ceitraining.org/ https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026

Daniela DiMarco, MD, MPH is joined by guest speaker Valeria Cantos, MD for this episode of “Conversations with CEI.” Dr. Valeria Cantos is an Associate Professor at the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory. She is an investigator at the Emory Ponce Clinical research site, where she leads HIV prevention and HIV vaccine clinical trials from the HPTN and HVTN networks. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is one of the most common STIs worldwide. This episode covers a brief overview of herpes simplex virus (HSV) mucocutaneous infections including current recommendations for testing, diagnosis, treatment, and preventing perinatal HSV transmission. They also discuss managing more challenging scenarios to provide practical guidance and address common clinical questions. Related Content: CEI Line: 1-866-637-2342 www.ceitraining.org www.hivguidelines.org Plunkett M, Neville CT, Chang JG. Genital Herpes: Rapid Evidence Review. Am Fam Physician. 2024 Nov;110(5):487-492. PMID: 39556630. Gnann JW Jr, Whitley RJ. CLINICAL PRACTICE. Genital Herpes. N Engl J Med. 2016 Aug 18;375(7):666-74. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp1603178. PMID: 27532832. Workowski KA, Bachmann LH, Chan PA, Johnston CM, Muzny CA, Park I, Reno H, Zenilman JM, Bolan GA. Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2021 Jul 23;70(4):1-187. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.rr7004a1. Erratum in: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023 Jan 27;72(4):107-108. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7204a5. PMID: 34292926; PMCID: PMC8344968.

Communication and relationship building are key approaches to harm reduction that focus on meeting people where they are. Both rely on shifting away from stigma and bias to create a safe, open dialogue between patient and provider that builds trust and autonomy while prioritizing safety and dignity. Clinical guidelines on how to effectively implement these principles of harm reduction to affect incremental, positive change exist, but can be difficult to translate into practice. This episode features two New York City-based nurses who are passionate about harm reduction and strive to bring its principles to all care settings. In partnership with another colleague, they developed a harm reduction tool to help providers navigate the sometimes opaque work of harm reduction in clinical spaces. Guests will introduce the tool, discuss the complexities of practicing harm reduction medicine and provide concrete strategies to integrate harm reduction into every clinical encounter. Related Content:  CEI Line: 1-866-637-2342 https://ceitraining.org/ CEI Training, Integrating Harm Reduction into Every Clinical Encounter: https://ceitraining.org/courses/1597 New York State Department of Health Clinical Guidelines for Substance Use Harm Reduction in Medical Care: https://www.hivguidelines.org/guideline/substance-use-harm-reduction/ New York State Office for Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) Harm Reduction: https://oasas.ny.gov/harm-reduction National Harm Reduction Coalition: https://harmreduction.org/ Hawk, M., Coulter, R.W.S., Egan, J.E., et al. (2017). Harm reduction principles for healthcare settings. Harm Reduct J. 14(70). doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-017-0196-4

The 2026 ACC/AHA/Multisociety Dyslipidemia Guideline recommends statin therapy for primary prevention of ASCVD for all people living with HIV (PLHIV) aged 40 to 75 years, independently of their traditional ASCVD risk score. This replaces previous calculator-based thresholds. On this episode, Antonio Urbina, MD, Medical Director for CEI’s HIV Primary Care and Prevention Center of Excellence, outlines the latest cardiovascular health guidelines for persons living with HIV. Related Content:  CEI Line: 1-866-637-2342 https://ceitraining.org/ 2026 ACC/AHA/AACVPR/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline on the Management of Dyslipidemia

Hosts Margie Urban, MD, and Daniela DiMarco, MD, MPH, are joined by Jason Zucker, MD. Dr. Zucker is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center and is also the Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Medical Director of the New York City STD and HIV Prevention Training Center. This podcast gives a snapshot of Dr. Zucker’s review of the most influential STI-related publications of 2025. Dr. Zucker will be giving a presentation, titled STI Management: Top Papers of 2025 That Will Impact Your Management Today or Tomorrow, taking place on July 13, 2026. Additional information can be found at the link below. Related content: CEI Line: 1-866-637-2342 www.ceitraining.org www.hivguidelines.org Webinar registration link (7/13)- STI Management

Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use. It is also a movement for social justice build on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs. Although harm reduction was introduced as a U.S. Federal Drug Policy Priority in 2022, it’s currently facing funding cuts that threaten life-saving resources and services. In this episode, we’ll hear from harm reductionist Giorgio Handman who has over 15 years’ experience advocating for and implementing harm reduction to support New Yorkers. He will share his personal experience with harm reduction and talk about the evolution and future of harm reduction. Related Content: Harlem United / History of the Foundation for Research on Sexually Transmitted Disease (FROST’D): https://www.harlemunited.org/frostd-joins-harlem-united-family/ VOCAL New York: https://www.vocal-ny.org/ National Harm Reduction Coalition: https://harmreduction.org/ New York State Office for Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) Harm Reduction: https://oasas.ny.gov/harm-reduction Hawk, M., Coulter, R.W.S., Egan, J.E., et al. (2017). Harm reduction principles for healthcare settings. Harm Reduct J. 14(70). doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-017-0196-4 SAMHSA Dear Colleague Letter: https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/dear-colleague-letter-upated-hr-funding-guidance.pdf CEI Line: 1-866-637-2342  https://ceitraining.org/

Two recent studies have shown remarkable advances in HIV cure research: (1) a Norwegian man who achieved long-term HIV remission after a stem cell transplant from his brother and (2) a Phase 1 trial testing CAR-T cell therapy. On this episode, Antonio Urbina, MD, Medical Director for CEI’s HIV Primary Care and Prevention Center of Excellence, dives into these studies and puts them into clinical context, including how to discuss cure research with patients. Related Content: CEI Line: 1-866-637-2342  https://ceitraining.org/ Clinicaltrials.gov