Welcome to Table Talk, the podcast series where clinical experience informs optimal human function. Our guest today is Chris Sandford. Chris was the governor of the Central and Northwest London NHS Foundation, the director of education for the National HIV Story Trust and a trustee of both the Bloomsbury Network and The Robert Grace Trust.

He taught at a number of universities such as University College London, University College of Osteopathy, New York University and Oslo University. He provided education and awareness around the condition as well as peer support at the Bloomsbury clinic and Mortimer market centre.

He kindly joined us on the podcast two months prior to his unexpected passing on the 28th of November 2022. In the episode, he discussed his experiences working and living with HIV and to break down some of the misconceptions surrounding the disease.

References List:

0:00 -> eulogy

0:55 -> intro; https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/ , https://www.nhst.org.uk/, https://bloomsburynetwork.co.uk/, https://www.robertgracetrust.org.uk/, https://www.uco.ac.uk/, https://www.sexualhealth.cnwl.nhs.uk/clinic/bloomsbury-clinic/,https://www.sexualhealth.cnwl.nhs.uk/clinic/mortimer-market-centre-including-margaret-pyke-centre/ 

2:22  -> What roles do you play in education surrounding the disease?

4:25 -> Princess Diana shaking hands with an HIV patient at the first HIV specialist clinic in 1987 https://www.insider.com/photo-princess-diana-shaking-hand-aids-patient-1987-2017-8

6:45 -> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7100151/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8809442/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12204140/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3360831/ 

8:15 -> Medical education around HIV 

10:28 -> Experience of being treated as an HIV patient

13:06 -> Challenges faced living with HIV

30:27 -> Origins of The Robert Grace Trust - https://www.robertgracetrust.org.uk/

32:22 -> Experiences working at the Mortimer Market Centre - https://bloomsburynetwork.co.uk/the-mortimer-market-centre/sexual-health-opening-times/

40:20 -> Modern medication and management

43:10 -> HIV figures, UK and Globally

46:00 -> Homophobia, HIV Research and drug development

53:40 -> What have we learned from how the world handled HIV in the 80’s?

57:00 -> What gave you the strength to pursue education in this field?

1:02:12 -> What did you know about HIV prior to diagnosis?

1:09:20 -> Access to medication, current myths and the law

1:12:38 -> Advice to those with HIV diagnosis

1:18:42 -> Mechanisms of HIV, transmission, aetiology and pathophysiology, viral load etc

1:28:20 -> How osteopaths can help with the management of HIV

1:33:18 -> PrEP - pre-exposure prophylaxis and Post-exposure prophylaxis

1:37:35 -> https://www.uco.ac.uk/