CAB Welcome Letter

To: All ACTU Clinic Patients

From: Community Advisory Board for the

UTMB AIDS Clinical Trials Unit

We would like to welcome you to the AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU) and to take this opportunity to introduce the CAB to you.

As part of the drug-development system, our federal government funds a number of sites throughout the country where trials are conducted on promising new drugs or combination therapies that are seeking FDA approval. UTMB became an AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU) in 1992. We are one of 33 adult ACTUs in the United States and Puerto Rico. In order to obtain patient input, each ACTU has a CAB. Our CAB is comprised of members who are infected or affected by HIV. Membership is confidential. CAB members for this unit are interested in ensuring that trials are conducted in a professional and caring manner.

We hope that you will be satisfied with your experience here at UTMB and with any participation in a clinical trial. CAB members serve as patient advocates. If you have concerns about your care and/or treatment in a research study that you feel are not being addressed, please write to the CAB at the address below. All communication to the CAB will be kept confidential. It would be helpful for you to include complete information such as date, names, etc. Also, include contact information so that we can follow-up with you. It is our responsibility to address your concerns. We would also like you to write us with any suggestions that you may have on how to do things better to improve your experience with the ACTU or clinic.

UTMB ACTU CAB
301 University Blvd
Galveston, TX 77555-0435

The CAB also welcomes new members! Should you be interested in becoming a CAB member, or just want to find out more about what we do, we invite you to join us for a meeting. You do not need to be enrolled in a trial or receive your primary care at UTMB to be a member. CAB meets the last Tuesday every three months (quarterly) at 5:30 p.m. in the Marvin Graves Building, Room 4.208, which is located at 1012 Texas Avenue (The Strand). Please call (409) 747-0214 or toll free 877-324-ACTU (2288) for specific details on the next meeting. Minutes of each meeting are posted on our bulletin board in the patient waiting room in the clinic. The CAB bulletin board contains information about trials at UTMB and HIV/AIDS agencies and support groups that are available to you. We hope you will join us for a CAB meeting soon!