Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Projected to Improve Life Expectancy for People with HIV and Depression in South Africa
SOM Student Aditya Gandhi presented findings from new study at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections
Depression affects approximately 30 percent of people with HIV (nearly 750,000 people) in South Africa and is associated with both poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy and increased mortality. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been found to be a cost-effective treatment to improve both depression and viral suppression in these patients, thus increasing life expectancy, in a recent study led by medical student Aditya Gandhi, School of Medicine Class of 2024, which he presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in February.
“HIV care has seen phenomenal advancements over the past 30 years, with antiretroviral therapy now conferring a near equal life expectancy for people with HIV compared to people without HIV when taken as prescribed,” said Mr. Gandhi, who was awarded a New Investigator Scholarship form CROI in recognition of his research and interests in pursuing a career in infectious diseases. “However, HIV remains an epidemic due to disparities in access to HIV care, comorbidities, and social factors that interfere with proper adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Our research shows that targeted mental healthcare is one of many interventions needed to help people with HIV achieve viral suppression and live longer with improved quality of life.”
This latest research project is a continuation of Mr. Gandhi’s work with a group of researchers at the Medical Practice Evaluation Center (MPEC) at Massachusetts General Hospital, which he began in 2018, just prior to his entry into medical school.
“I joined MPEC to further explore my interests in health policy before starting medical school and was particularly drawn to this group because of the high impact of its research on policy decision-making, both within the United States and internationally,” said Mr. Gandhi. “I soon found a passion for HIV and infectious disease medicine, and during my two years there, regularly have had the opportunity to lead projects and share our findings with policy-makers around the world.”
Mr. Gandhi remarked that attending the CROI conference as a scholarship recipient provided substantial opportunities to network with lead researchers in the field. “I was also happy to see a lot of similarities between this conference and New York Medical College’s Medical Student Research Forum, which I helped organize, especially with regards to the breadth and enthusiasm for research that I saw among my peers.”