The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a health crisis so overwhelming scientists and international leaders are uncertain about how to respond. Alleviating global poverty can make a difference in curbing the further spread of AIDS, but that is a monumental and unrealistic feat in the short term. However, researches like Campbell alumnus Sherwood Barbee, a Project Research Associate with i3Research in Cary, N.C., are making inroads into AIDS prevention. Barbee and associates Drs. Elizabeth Livingston and Leo Brancazio of Duke University Medical Center, will present their research on how delivery methods chosen by HIV/AIDS infected pregnant woman could help prevent the spread of the disease at the 16th International AIDS Society Conference in Toronto, Canada, August 13-18. Studying a group of 54 obstetric patients at Duke University Medical Center the researchers discovered that 76 percent of the HIV positive women underwent elective bilateral tubal ligation surgery during Cesarean births, while 100 percent of the HIV negative patients did not undergo the surgery during Cesarean birth. The research concluded that that these statistics could be applied in an educational format that would help empower women to make informed decisions regarding mother-to-child transmission and prevention of the disease. “The research is not promoting sterilization,” Barbee said. “We were concerned about the high rates of sterilization and wanted to make sure women understood their ability to have healthy children in the future. We want these women to be informed and educated about delivery and contraceptive methods, so that they can make the best decision for their own well-being.” Of African American descent, Barbee became interested in HIV/AIDS when he was an undergraduate. “The main reason for my interest was the disproportionate rate in which the virus affects the African American community, specifically the female population,” he said. “This raised concern about the community and future generations. I wanted to learn and understand more in hopes of one day being able to educate those who may not understand the risk of HIV/AIDS.” While studying for his master’s degree in Clinical Research at the Campbell School of Pharmacy, Barbee submitted an abstract to the International AIDS Society and was selected to present at the 2006 conference. He was assisted in his research by Brancazio and Livingston who work in Maternal and Fetal Medicine at Duke University Medical center. “I feel truly blessed to have my research abstract chosen for display and presentation at the conference,” Barbee said. “It will allow many other physicians, researchers and scholars to observe the work, potentially bringing new insight into an area which has not been extensively studied.” Sherwood Barbee received a master’s degree in Clinical Research from the Campbell University School of Pharmacy in May 2006.Photo Copy: Sherwood Barbee
Campbell pharmacy alum to present research at international AIDS conference