BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Birgit Watson is an experienced QA Coordinator and Team Lead specializing in therapeutic drug monitoring and specimen processing at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS since March 2013. With a robust background in quality assurance and method validation, Birgit has overseen the development and validation of analytical methods using LC-MS/MS, coordinated clinical study preparations, and supervised staff. Previous roles include positions at bioLytical Laboratories, Acino Pharma AG, and Angiotech, where responsibilities encompassed updating technical documents, developing analytical methods, and ensuring compliance with quality standards. Birgit holds a certification as a Laboratory Technician in Chemistry from Städtische Berufsschule für Zahntechnik, obtained between 2004 and 2007.
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BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
When the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS opened in 1992, a British Columbian was dying from AIDS almost every day. While current advances in HIV treatment have made the disease a chronic but manageable illness, much work remains to be done. An estimated 13,000 British Columbians are HIV infected, with close to 350 new cases reported each year. As well, more than 3,200 cases of AIDS have been reported in the province, and a third of these individuals currently live with the disease. Drug resistance, adverse effects to medication, and barriers to accessing treatment and maintaining adherence are just a few of the many issues facing those who are HIV-positive. More importantly, people are still dying from the disease. The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) is dedicated to improving the health of British Columbians with HIV through the development, ongoing monitoring and dissemination of comprehensive research and treatment programs for HIV and related diseases. The Centre is a key provincial resource, serving all health authorities, regions and citizens of BC. The Centre places the disease under the microscope, provides care and treatment to those infected, educates doctors and healthcare professionals throughout the province, and promotes evidence-based social policy that helps protect people from acquiring the virus. The Centre's scope is comprehensive, but so too is the impact of HIV/AIDS. The intent of this website is to not only provide a better understanding of the Centre's activities, but to shed light on the complexities in fighting HIV/AIDS.