The Grand Decoration of Honour for Service to Austria is awarded by the Government of Austria in recognition of outstanding contribution to the public. The award was given to Dr. Montaner to recognize his contribution to the advances in HIV/AIDS treatment, which has improved the lives of HIV-positive individuals around the world.
Dr. Montaner’s lifelong dedication to improving outocmes for HIV-positive individuals has resulted in the highly-regarded Treatment as Prevention strategy. This approach builds upon Dr. Montaner’s work on highly active anti-retroviral treatment, and has shown positive results in the decrease of progression from HIV to AIDS, AIDS-related deaths, as well as the spread of HIV through communities. The WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) both support this revolutionary strategy.
This award is the most recent in a long list of accolades for Dr. Montaner. His work and the work of the Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS promises to continue to make significant impacts improving the lives of people with HIV/AIDS.