Call for papers - Aging with HIV

Guest Editors

Fátima Brañas, MD, PhD, Universidad Complutense, Spain
Win Min Han, MD, PhD, UNSW Sydney, Australia
Makandwe Nyirenda, PhD, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
Matilde Sánchez-Conde, MD, PhD, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Spain

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 19 September 2025

BMC Geriatrics is calling for submissions to our Collection on Aging with HIV.

The intersection of aging and HIV presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities for healthcare providers and researchers alike. As advancements in antiretroviral therapies continue to extend life expectancy for individuals living with HIV, there is an increasing need to understand the specific health and social issues faced by this aging population. This Collection aims to explore the ways in which aging influences the management of HIV, including the psychosocial aspects, comorbidities, and the impact of long-term treatment on overall well-being.

New Content Item This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Fátima Brañas, MD, PhD, Universidad Complutense, Spain

Fátima Brañas is the chief of the Geriatrics Department at Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor (Madrid) in Spain and is also working as Associate Professor of Medicine at Universidad Complutense (Madrid). Regarding research, her area of special interest is HIV and Aging focused on frailty, physical function, healthy aging and quality of life of the older adults with HIV. Currently Dr Brañas involved, as national coordinator, in the FUNCFRAIL Study: multicenter Spanish cohort of older adults with HIV to study frailty and physical function and is a panelist for the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) Guidelines working on the “Ageing, frailty & older people with HIV” chapter.

Win Min Han, MD, PhD, UNSW Sydney, Australia

Win Min Han is a Research Fellow at The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia. He has experience as a clinical researcher at the HIV-NAT, Thai Red Cross AIDS and Infectious Diseases Research Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, where he was involved in large-scale cohort studies and clinical trials focusing on clinical outcomes of people with HIV. His research focuses on HIV-related comorbidities and aging-related conditions in people with HIV. Currently, his research includes work with the International Cohort Consortium of Infectious Disease (RESPOND) cohort study. He also serves as an investigator in the Advancing Clinical Therapeutics Globally (ACTG)’s Comorbidities Transformative Science Group.

Makandwe Nyirenda, PhD, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa

Makandwe Nyirenda is a specialist Scientist at the Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa. He holds a joint appointment as senior lecturer at the School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. Dr Nyirenda's research focus is on the health and well-being of older adults including the co-morbidity of communicable and non-communicable infections in older adults, effects of caregiving on the health of older adults, sexual behavior and living with HIV. In addition to research and teaching activities, he also contributes as an academic editor and scientific reviewer for other journals and serves as a member of an international research funding agency awards committee.

Matilde Sánchez-Conde, MD, PhD, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Spain

Mathilde Sánchez-Conde is a Consultant in Infectious Diseases at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital. As a clinical researcher with a well-established research line focused on older adults living with HIV, Dr Sánchez-Conde addresses topics such as frailty, physical function, and healthy aging. She is a coordinator for the HIV and Frailty Spanish Cohort. In addition to her clinical and research activities, Dr Sánchez-Conde performs numerous teaching activities and collaborates as reviewer of scientific articles for several journals.

About the Collection

BMC Geriatrics is calling for submissions to our Collection on Aging with HIV.

The intersection of aging and HIV presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities for healthcare providers and researchers alike. As advancements in antiretroviral therapies continue to extend life expectancy for individuals living with HIV, there is an increasing need to understand the specific health and social issues faced by this aging population. This Collection aims to explore the ways in which aging influences the management of HIV, including the psychosocial aspects, comorbidities, and the impact of long-term treatment on overall well-being.

Understanding the dynamics of HIV in older adults is critical as it can inform healthcare practices, policies, and research initiatives. Recent studies have begun to shed light on the complexities of managing HIV in older adults, addressing issues such as cognitive decline, social stigma, and the increasing prevalence of other chronic conditions. Furthermore, there have been significant advances in the field of geriatric care that emphasize the need for integrated approaches to health management, which can greatly enhance the quality of life for older adults living with HIV.

The topics of interest for this Collection include (but are not limited to):

Aging and HIV comorbidities
Psychological impacts of living with HIV in older adults
Sexual health and aging with HIV
Geriatric care approaches for HIV management
Promoting healthy aging in older adults with HIV: exercise and nutrition
Autoimmune diseases in aging populations with HIV

Continued research in this area holds promise for identifying best practices in the care of aging populations with HIV. As we further investigate the interplay between HIV, aging, and comorbid conditions, there is potential for developing targeted interventions that address the unique needs of older adults living with HIV. Additionally, integrating gerontological principles into HIV care may lead to improved health outcomes, increased longevity, and enhanced quality of life for this demographic.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being.

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Aging with HIV" from the dropdown menu.

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.