The USC schools of dentistry, medicine and pharmacy tackled the enormous issue of HIV/AIDS and prevention for women in a special discussion held Nov. 27 at the Davidson Conference Center.

The event, titled the Microbicide Interactive, invited scholars and researchers in health science, anthropology, media and gender studies to explore the disturbingly high incidence of women infected with HIV in developing countries.

“The face of HIV/AIDS is a woman’s face now,” said Andrea Kovacs, professor of pediatrics and pathology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and director of the school’s Maternal Child and Adolescent Program for Infectious Diseases and Virology (MCA). The MCA clinic is Los Angeles County’s only designated perinatal HIV clinic and the only clinic in the county to provide a full spectrum of health services to HIV-positive pregnant women and their families regardless of their ability to pay.

The United Nations estimates that 33 million people are living with HIV worldwide. Young women ages 15 to 24 represent the fastest-growing demographic of new HIV infections. In some developing countries, including those in sub-Saharan Africa, 61 percent of adults living with HIV in 2007 were women.

“We are seeing the feminization of this epidemic, a term coined by Kofi Annan,” Kovacs explained. “Young women are the most affected group in the world. We need a new strategy obviously.”

The focus at the conference was on the potential effectiveness of microbicides – gels, creams, suppositories and other compounds that are self-inserted into the vagina prior to sex to prevent transmission of STDs.

As there is no cure for the disease, microbicides hold great promise for prevention of HIV transmission in women. In countries where gender discrimination prevents women from actively engaging in safe-sex practices, microbicides could be especially advantageous given that they can be administered discreetly.

The event was organized by Kovacs, Roseann Mulligan, professor and associate dean of the USC School of Dentistry’s office of Community Health Programs and director of the Dental Education Component of the Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center; and Kathleen Johnson, holder of the William A. and Josephine A. Heeres Chair in Community Pharmacy and chair of the Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy at the USC School of Pharmacy.

The partnership was a recent recipient of a $10,000 James H. Zumberge Research and Innovation Award from the university. The prizes are awarded to collaborative efforts among faculty from different schools and disciplines that lead to sustained research programs and projects.

“We have a unique opportunity at USC given our expertise and patient populations to make a difference in solving unanswered questions related to HIV prevention and treatment, especially in adolescents and women,” Johnson said. “This work will impact domestic as well as international populations.”

The School of Dentistry has had a unique affiliation with the MCA clinic for several years and provides dental services to its patient populations. The study of dentistry, Mulligan said, understands that health and disease in the oral cavity are influenced by “good” versus “bad” organisms. She said that what they have learned about the complex relationships of organisms of the mouth may have applications to the reproductive tract.

“What has been learned in dentistry may help us understand other compartments of the body harboring complex flora that colonize mucosal surfaces,” she said.

The microbicide event was the first in a series of discussions to be organized through this interdisciplinary collaboration. A February event will address the pathogenesis and transmission of the disease both in women and men. In March, a town hall meeting scheduled in conjunction with National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day will explore the epidemic from a female perspective. The town hall event is open to the public.