CHAPEL HILL -- Advancements in treatment for HIV/AIDS have accelerated by leaps and bounds in the decades since the infancy of the disease. Dr. Myron Cohen is a UNC physician who is receiving the state's highest civilian award for his work studying the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS, and he says there are three sectors that his team works in: Prevention, Treatment, and Cure.

Dr. Cohen added, "We and many others are working in all three areas, and it's all moving fast. Remember in 1980 through 1987, HIV infection was universally fatal. Now, if a person with HIV is detected early and treated properly, life span is virtually normal."

Dr. Cohen will receive the 2013 North Carolina Award for Science from Governor Pat McCrory at a ceremony in Durham, Thursday, November 21st.