HIV/AIDS Infection Care and Treatment Program

About the Program

The HIV Clinic at the Massachusetts General Hospital provides comprehensive and multidisciplinary care to patients living with HIV infection. Our range of services includes counseling and preventative care for HIV-infected patients, provision of antiretroviral therapy and side effect management for patients who require treatment and use of new agents in patients who have HIV resistant to previous drug regimens.

We also offer comprehensive care for HIV-related conditions, including opportunistic infections and cancers, and viral hepatitis coinfection (both hepatitis C and B). The HIV Clinic also has a psychiatrist for patients with mental health problems; dedicated social workers to provide counseling and assistance with services; a neurologist with expertise in neurologic complications of HIV; and a nutritionist who focuses on HIV-related nutritional issues. Patients who require other specialty consultation have access to the clinical expertise of physicians in other departments and divisions of the Massachusetts General Hospital. We also offer support to populations with special needs, with programs such as the Women's HIV Clinic.

In addition to providing state-of-the-art treatment of HIV-infected patients, our clinic is actively involved in research to develop new ways to treat and control HIV infection. We are part of a national clinical trials network called the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, and our patients often participate in clinical trials sponsored by this group. Patients may also participate in trials of new agents and vaccines and in studies of how HIV affects the immune system. We are also part of the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT and Harvard, which offers cutting-edge studies in HIV, including work on developing an HIV vaccine.

Finally, the HIV Clinic is involved in teaching the next generation of physicians and nurses to care for patients with HIV. We train infectious diseases fellows, medical residents, medical students and nurse practitioners. We also provide post-graduate education to physicians and nurses throughout the world.

Our Staff

The practice is staffed by professionals specifically trained in infectious diseases and in HIV medicine, including doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and medical assistants. The clinic also includes social workers with expertise in HIV, skilled administrative assistants, and a dedicated research team.