This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Michael Saag, MD: Hello. I'm Dr Michael Saag, and welcome to Medscape InDiscussion: HIV. Today we're talking about retaining patients with HIV in care. I picked this topic because sustaining viral suppression over time among patients on antiretroviral therapy is tightly connected to retention and care. Let's start with a case. A 32-year-old man established care in the clinic 3 years ago. He is currently on single-tablet dolutegravir/3TC and has achieved undetectable levels of HIV RNA. However, he intermittently uses crystal meth, and when he does, he usually misses his clinic visits. He has now missed two clinic visits in a row and has not picked up his antiretroviral therapy medications for 2 months. My guest today is Dr Michael Mugavero, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at University of Alabama at Birmingham and associate director of the UAB Center for AIDS Research. Michael is internationally recognized for his pioneering work on the importance of retention in care and, in particular, the impact of missed visits on poor outcomes and mortality. Welcome, Michael.
Michael Mugavero, MD: Thanks for having me.
Saag:Can you briefly describe some event or scene early in your career when you realized that you were going to dedicate a large portion of your career to the treatment of HIV?
