Organization: Centre Hospitalo Universitaire de Kamenge, University of Burundi
Country: Burundi
Patrick Bitangumutwenzi, born in 1984, is a medical doctor who graduated from the University of Burundi. His primary field of interest is human health, dealing with issues related to human welfare. He is specializing in paediatric HIV, focusing on acceleration projects for prevention of perinatal transmission. Burundian by nationality, Patrick speaks several languages: Kirundi (his mother tongue), French and English.
His vision is to use his skills and become more efficient while serving his community at local and international levels, collaborating and contributing in multicultural teams.
As an IAS Member since 2017, Patrick benefitted from various opportunities in clinical research on prevention and treatment and advances in ongoing vaccine research. In 2017, he participated in the 9th IAS Conference on HIV Science in Paris, France, with funding from the IAS Educational Fund; he was able to interact with other activists and answer questions about his poster on the prevention of HIV and AIDS in people of childbearing age in Burundi. He took the opportunity to stay connected with other participants after the conference.
In 2019, he participated in the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science in Mexico, He met activists from Central and South America and discussed HIV transmission by injection of drugs, a common practice in the region. The experience of active participation in the activities of the IAS allows him to make significant advances in reducing the incidence of the HIV pandemic in Africa, specifically in the East African region.
His aspiration for the IAS is that it be a decentralized organization working towards post-participation support of beneficiaries of training and conferences in their hospitals and communities of origin.