AP: In general, it is very big institute of epidemiology which is engaged in studying including infectious diseases. One of the purposes is a control and monitoring of spread of infectious diseases and, respectively, some preventive measures to understand why people are ill as this virus extends also that to do to us that it did not occur further. The institute is engaged not only in HIV infections, but also hepatitis, infections, sexually transmitted, and especially dangerous infections. Our division is engaged in HIV infection. It is only one infection, but at the same time it includes not only the medical moment, but also questions of prevention, many social problems and also demographic, economic, development of measures for studying of viruses, including new diagnostics to accelerate diagnosis, development of new drugs to treat and subsequently sometime to cure HIV infection completely. In this big division we have a department of directly clinical trials where I as my main first specialty is a doctor - the infectiologist work. When there is some new drug, we have to investigate it at first on small group of HIV-positive patients. For this purpose we select them, we observe further in common already with another divisions and the organizations we draw conclusions about its efficiency. The second orientation of my work - already more epidemiological. All who are engaged in HIV infections, know about UNAIDS Purposes 90-90-90. The purpose is in that 90 percent of people with HIV infection knew about the diagnosis, 90 percent from them received treatment and that for 90 percent from them it was effective [i.e. that virus loading was suppressed. An editor's note] And that to reach it, to us it is necessary to involve people in inspection, then that at whom the virus is revealed, to provide medical care and effectively to treat them. My main scientific work in which I am engaged now and on which I will write the doctoral dissertation is connected to reveal social and demographic features which interfere with effective introduction of this cascade at all stages to try to improve commitment of our patients.
MM: Whether tell, please, remember you when you decided to be engaged in medicine and to specialize in HIV infection?
AP: In my case everything is rather simple, my parents is doctors too. Not that they forced me or persuaded, but since the childhood it was clear to me that I will be a doctor.
MM: After all it is difficult, it is HIV infection, and today it cannot be cured, and it is possible to constrain only somehow effectively. Very complex contingent and mass of questions which arise every day and which the standard therapist in policlinic does not face. Did you have some thoughts what, maybe, it not for women?
AP: In general, if to say that there are conditionally some female and nonfeminine professions, then, as for medicine in our country, it is mainly female profession, especially if it is therapeutic specialty or infectious diseases. If you attend any conference in Russia, mainly in the hall there will be women. If we say it about a clinical part and if it is, of course, research work and higher leading posts, then there mainly men.
MM: And with what it is connected?
AP: I do not think that it is connected with the fact that women are limited somehow or are not let. Most likely just not especially aspire to it. It is clear, that it will take a lot of time and it is rather heavy responsibility, and at us it is accepted that the woman needs to give more time to family and children.
MM: That is it is a certain social stereotype?
AP: It seems to me that there is such certain social stereotype though, of course, directly nobody will sound it, but subconsciously girls can choose other directions. In respect of HIV infections, the only question connected with my specialty which to me is often asked especially people who got acquainted with me recently and find out that I work in the AIDS center with HIV-positive people, it: "And you are not afraid to catch from them?!". At once it becomes clear that we just do not finish with our prevention and knowledge of the population that in the everyday life, entering some relations or contacts, we have more risk [to catch], than from our patients.
There is still such [opinion] that it is heavy patients, but, let us assume, in comparison with the same diseases, emotionally heavier for the doctor, which lead to "burning out", for example, in oncology or some serious children's illness, HIV infection after all not deadly. It is controlled, and we rather optimistically can look at our patients. Therefore to say that it is emotionally heavy, is not present rather, on the contrary, happens even pleasantly when you see that the patient was at a heavy stage and after we began with him therapy and began to work in all directions, he returned to the normal life, became more active, more attentive to the health. There are even pleasant moments.