Dr. Julio Montaner – HCS25
Executive Director and Physician-in-Chief, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS; Head, HIV/AIDS Program, St. Paul’s Hospital, Providence Health Care
Dr. Julio Montaner is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a graduate of the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires (1973) and received his Medical Degree with Honors from the University of Buenos Aires (1979). In 1981, Dr. Montaner joined the University of British Columbia (UBC) at St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH) where he completed his training in Internal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine. While in training, he led several clinical studies that demonstrated the role of adjunctive corticosteroids in Pneumocystis-related respiratory failure in the setting of AIDS. In 1988, he became the Director of the AIDS Research Program and the Immunodeficiency Clinic at SPH/UBC. Since then, he focused his research in the development of antiretroviral therapies and management strategies. In the mid 90’s, as the Principal Investigator of the INCAS Trial, he played a key role in establishing the efficacy of NNRTI based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which emerged as the new global Standard of Care at the 1996 Vancouver International AIDS Conference, of which he was a co-organizer. He then focused his attention to HAART access to hard-to-reach populations, including injection drug users, and the treatment of multiple drug resistant HIV infection with great success. Since the late 90’s he also pioneered the concept of Treatment as Prevention® (TasP®). He was the first to advocate for the expansion of HAART coverage to curb the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, in terms of decreasing progression to AIDS and death, as well as decreasing HIV transmission. Largely through his efforts, TasP® has now been implemented with great success in BC, and progressively embraced by UNAIDS, China, PEPfAR, the US Government, and France, among others. In 2013 TasP® was fully incorporated in the WHO Consolidated ARV Guidelines.
Dr. Montaner is a Professor of Medicine at UBC and has held the Endowed Chair in AIDS Research at SPH/UBC since 1996. In 2016, he was honoured with a Killam Professorship at UBC. He is a founding Co-Director of the Canadian HIV Trials Network. He is the Executive Director and Physician-in-Chief of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. He was the President of the International AIDS Society from 2008 to 2010. He was the founding head of the academic Division of AIDS for a decade in the Department of Medicine at UBC (2007-2017).
Dr. Montaner has authored over 1000 scientific publications on HIV/AIDS and related conditions. In 2008, he received the inaugural Avant-Garde Award of $2.5 million over five years, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support his project entitled “Seek and Treat for Optimal Outcomes and Prevention in HIV & AIDS in IDU (STOP HIV/AIDS)”. In September 2009, he was the recipient of the $100,000 Knowledge Translation Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health (CIHR) and, in November 2009, he was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada-The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences (RSC). Founded in 1882, the RSC, consisting of distinguished Canadian scholars, artists and scientists, is Canada’s senior and most prestigious scholarly organization. In 2010, he received the Prix Galien Award, the Order of BC as well as the Albert Einstein World of Science Award. In 2012, he was the recipient of the Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to Austria, the Hope is a Vaccine Award from the Global Alliance to Immunize against AIDS, and The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for contributions to the field of HIV/AIDS. In 2013, he received the award “Senador Domingo Faustino Sarmiento” from the Argentina Senate of the Nation presented to him by the Honorable Amado Boudou, Vice President of Argentina, and the Honorable Maria Laura Leguizamon, Senator of Buenos Aires. Dr. Montaner has received four Doctor of Science-honoris causa degrees (Simon Fraser University, Cordoba University, University of Buenos Aires, and Universidad del Salvador), as well as being an honorary fellow at Douglas College. From 2014 to 2017, he held the position of Special Advisor on HIV Therapeutics to the Executive Director of the United Nations AIDS Programme. In 2015, he received the David Barry DART Achievement Award that is given in recognition of invaluable contributions to the field of HIV drug discovery and he is a Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Laureate and Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2016, he was recognized with the Profile Award-Argentinian Intelligence, Science and Technology category and one of the 10 most influential Hispanic Canadians by the Canadian Hispanic Business Alliance. He is the recipient of the Killam Prize in Health Sciences by the Canada Council for the Arts, one of five scholars awarded the prize which honours Canadian researchers and scientists whose lifetime of work has impacted Canadians and citizens around the world, and the CIHR Gold Leaf Prize for Impact on behalf of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS for the organization’s 25 years of providing care and treatment for those living with HIV, education health professions, and promoting evidence-based policy to protect people from the virus. In 2019, he received the Senate 150th Anniversary Medal for his exemplary leadership and lifelong contributions to improving the health and lives of British Columbians.
In September 2020, Dr. Montaner was included, along with Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch, Dr. Bruce Chown, Dr. M. Vera Peters and Dr. Balfour Mount, in Canada Post’s “Medical Groundbreakers” five-stamp set to honour the life-saving contributions of some of Canada’s most respected health care researchers.
Announced on August 31, 2022, Dr. Montaner’s accomplishments and dedication to health sciences was recognized as he was elected as a Fellow into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian health sciences community.
Dr. Julio Montaner is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a graduate of the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires (1973) and received his Medical Degree with Honors from the University of Buenos Aires (1979). In 1981, Dr. Montaner joined the University of British Columbia (UBC) at St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH) where he completed his training in Internal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine. While in training, he led several clinical studies that demonstrated the role of adjunctive corticosteroids in Pneumocystis-related respiratory failure in the setting of AIDS. In 1988, he became the Director of the AIDS Research Program and the Immunodeficiency Clinic at SPH/UBC. Since then, he focused his research in the development of antiretroviral therapies and management strategies. In the mid 90’s, as the Principal Investigator of the INCAS Trial, he played a key role in establishing the efficacy of NNRTI based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which emerged as the new global Standard of Care at the 1996 Vancouver International AIDS Conference, of which he was a co-organizer. He then focused his attention to HAART access to hard-to-reach populations, including injection drug users, and the treatment of multiple drug resistant HIV infection with great success. Since the late 90’s he also pioneered the concept of Treatment as Prevention® (TasP®). He was the first to advocate for the expansion of HAART coverage to curb the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, in terms of decreasing progression to AIDS and death, as well as decreasing HIV transmission. Largely through his efforts, TasP® has now been implemented with great success in BC, and progressively embraced by UNAIDS, China, PEPfAR, the US Government, and France, among others. In 2013 TasP® was fully incorporated in the WHO Consolidated ARV Guidelines.
Dr. Montaner is a Professor of Medicine at UBC and has held the Endowed Chair in AIDS Research at SPH/UBC since 1996. In 2016, he was honoured with a Killam Professorship at UBC. He is a founding Co-Director of the Canadian HIV Trials Network. He is the Executive Director and Physician-in-Chief of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. He was the President of the International AIDS Society from 2008 to 2010. He was the founding head of the academic Division of AIDS for a decade in the Department of Medicine at UBC (2007-2017).
Dr. Montaner has authored over 1000 scientific publications on HIV/AIDS and related conditions. In 2008, he received the inaugural Avant-Garde Award of $2.5 million over five years, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support his project entitled “Seek and Treat for Optimal Outcomes and Prevention in HIV & AIDS in IDU (STOP HIV/AIDS)”. In September 2009, he was the recipient of the $100,000 Knowledge Translation Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health (CIHR) and, in November 2009, he was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada-The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences (RSC). Founded in 1882, the RSC, consisting of distinguished Canadian scholars, artists and scientists, is Canada’s senior and most prestigious scholarly organization. In 2010, he received the Prix Galien Award, the Order of BC as well as the Albert Einstein World of Science Award. In 2012, he was the recipient of the Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to Austria, the Hope is a Vaccine Award from the Global Alliance to Immunize against AIDS, and The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for contributions to the field of HIV/AIDS. In 2013, he received the award “Senador Domingo Faustino Sarmiento” from the Argentina Senate of the Nation presented to him by the Honorable Amado Boudou, Vice President of Argentina, and the Honorable Maria Laura Leguizamon, Senator of Buenos Aires. Dr. Montaner has received four Doctor of Science-honoris causa degrees (Simon Fraser University, Cordoba University, University of Buenos Aires, and Universidad del Salvador), as well as being an honorary fellow at Douglas College. From 2014 to 2017, he held the position of Special Advisor on HIV Therapeutics to the Executive Director of the United Nations AIDS Programme. In 2015, he received the David Barry DART Achievement Award that is given in recognition of invaluable contributions to the field of HIV drug discovery and he is a Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Laureate and Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2016, he was recognized with the Profile Award-Argentinian Intelligence, Science and Technology category and one of the 10 most influential Hispanic Canadians by the Canadian Hispanic Business Alliance. He is the recipient of the Killam Prize in Health Sciences by the Canada Council for the Arts, one of five scholars awarded the prize which honours Canadian researchers and scientists whose lifetime of work has impacted Canadians and citizens around the world, and the CIHR Gold Leaf Prize for Impact on behalf of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS for the organization’s 25 years of providing care and treatment for those living with HIV, education health professions, and promoting evidence-based policy to protect people from the virus. In 2019, he received the Senate 150th Anniversary Medal for his exemplary leadership and lifelong contributions to improving the health and lives of British Columbians.
In September 2020, Dr. Montaner was included, along with Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch, Dr. Bruce Chown, Dr. M. Vera Peters and Dr. Balfour Mount, in Canada Post’s “Medical Groundbreakers” five-stamp set to honour the life-saving contributions of some of Canada’s most respected health care researchers.
Announced on August 31, 2022, Dr. Montaner’s accomplishments and dedication to health sciences was recognized as he was elected as a Fellow into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian health sciences community.
