About Us

The Clinical Seminar Series has distinct pathways: Virology, General Medicine and Public Health. Each pathway utilizes different presentation formats (didactic, case-presentations, interactive workshop), as best-suited for any given topic. As diverse as our programs have been, translucent themes interlace them–such that each program will prompt a reminiscence of at least a few others. The strength of our programs lies in the fact that our programs have a long-term planned curriculum whose interwoven themes become self-evident, thereby facilitating the learning process.

The Virology Pathway was designed to address the fact that HIV and Viral Hepatitis continue to plague New York in numbers that dwarf other parts of the United States. Despite having a large number of highly skilled HIV clinicians in New York State, most HIV specialty practices continue to operate at maximal capacity, a situation that will be exacerbated by increasing longevity of the HIV population and the nation’s mission to identify (and enlist in primary care) persons with HIV early in the natural history of their infection. Moreover, the intersection of multiple viral infections has required even greater knowledge in otherwise ripened clinicians.

The Public Health Pathway provides a global perspective on emerging threats to the public well-being, and reminds us how to integrate prevention interventions into disease management. The FORCE Inc. is the only local educational provider that systematically has included public health officials in its faculty and programs.

The General Medicine Pathway addresses the need for our audience to remained well versed in new strategies for the management of old illnesses (e.g., diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension)—which are becoming an increasing problem as longevity of the US population increases. By juxtaposing these topics with the subspecialty topics mentioned above, we have facilitated approaches to comprehensive patient care.

The Hepatitis Treatment Network was created for the purposes of familiarizing medical practitioners and patients about the management of viral hepatitis. Viral hepatitis is highly prevalent in the United States, and viral hepatitis B and C especially common in New York (with its large immigrant and substance using populations). With more cases identified, specialists as well as primary care providers will increasingly have to grapple with the conundrums of HCV management. Hepatitis B & C remain complex diseases, and their treatment is rapidly emerging. Hence, in order to remain up-to-date, ongoing clinical education is essential for practitioners. Our goal is to increase the awareness, treatment and monitoring of hepatitis patients by primary care physicians b linking this medical provider set to key subspecialists actively providing consultation services (e.g., antiviral treatment, biopsy, transplant) for viral hepatitis.

HIV Clinical Series

• Current Issues in HIV
• Translating Recent Developments in Resistance into Practice
• Co-Managing HIV, Mental Illness, & Substance Abuse
• Gender Issues in HIV
• Rapid HIV Testing
• Perinatal HIV Management
• HIV in Infants & Children
• New Drugs for HIV
• Impact of Viral Fitness on Treatment Decisions
• Opportunistic Diseases in the HAART Era
• Simplification Strategies
• Metabolic Disorders Associated with HIV & HAART

Public Health Series

• Global Issues in HIV & Substance Abuse
• Assisted Reproductive Technologies
• Protocols for Implementing Rapid Testing
• Changing Paradigms for HIV
• MedicoLegal Issues in Medicine
• US Public Policy Issues in HIV
• Emergency Preparedness
• Epidemiologic Trends in HIV & HAART
• The Global HIV Pandemic

General Medicine Series

• The Metabolic Syndrome & Cardiac Risk
• Dyslipidemias
• STD update
• Managing HPV infection
• Managing Depressive Disorders
• Medical Management of Bioterrorism
• Diabetes Update
• Brain Reward Systems and Tobacco Cessation
• Tuberculosis Control