3 Weeks, 3 Webinars: An agenda for 2022

So much is happening (and not) in HIV prevention and the larger world of global health equity. AVAC is tracking it all, bringing together different perspectives and hosting global dialogues to help inform and set a powerful agenda for 2022.

In the first three weeks of January, AVAC hosted three important conversations for the year ahead. Global health leaders and stalwart advocates provide critical perspectives and compass points on the issues that will make and break advances in HIV prevention and global health equity this year. (And read to the end for info about the first webinar in February.)

We’ve synthesized the key messages of each of the three, and posted the recordings and slides:

Understanding—And Improving—COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake
Jan 10, 2022
Recording | Summary

In collaboration with the COVID Advocates Advisory Board (CAAB) and the Coalition to Accelerate and Support Prevention Research (CASPR), this webinar, moderated by WACI Health’s Rosemary Mburu, looked closely at how global health leaders are tackling public resistance to COVID-19 vaccines, and lessons for the HIV field. Speakers included: John Nkengasong, current director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention; Heidi Larson, founding director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and Kate Hopkins, Director of Research, Vaccine Acceptance & Demand at the Sabin Vaccine Institute.

Ups & Downs in the Field: Setting an Agenda Together for HIV Prevention in 2022
Jan 13, 2022
Recording | Summary

This webinar reviewed the latest advances, opportunities and disappointments in HIV prevention and provided an opportunity to address key questions including: where we are with the introduction of injectable cabotegravir and the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring; the development status (including setbacks) of promising new PrEP agents; and how to ensure HIV prevention and equitable access to innovation do not fall further behind; and much more. This webinar featured the perspectives of Linda-Gail Bekker from South Africa’s Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (and AVAC’s board); Grace Kumwenda of Pakachere Institute of Health and Development Communication in Malawi and Kenneth Mwehonge, the new executive director of Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS-Uganda) — both former AVAC Fellows — and Rachel Baggaley from the World Health Organization.

Oral PrEP Implementation and Implications for Next Generation PrEP
Jan 19, 2022
Recording | Summary

This webinar discussed insights from oral PrEP programs and how these experiences can inform faster, smarter and more affordable rollout of next-generation HIV prevention products. It featured Saiqa Mullick of Wits RHI in South Africa, Joseph Murungu of Pangaea Zimbabwe AIDS Trust (PZAT), and Daniel Were of Jhpiego in Kenya.

And the conversations continue!

Join the AIDS Foundation Chicago, AVAC and partners February 3 at 1:00pm ET/12:00pm CT for: Are we PrEPared this time? Ensuring a Swift Translation of Research into Community Impact. This webinar will feature presentations and debate on what must happen for positive research results to effectively reach communities without delay. Register here.

We hope you’ll look at the summaries of these important conversations and/or listen to the recordings and share with your colleagues, partners and friends. With this round-up of webinars setting the stage for 2022, we at AVAC are preparing for a year of deep collaboration and action with you.

Jan 19 Webinar: Oral PrEP Implementation and Implications for Next Generation PrEP

[UPDATE]: Visit here for the recording and to read a summary.

On Wednesday, January 19, AVAC and partners shared critical insights and lessons from oral PrEP programs in Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Learning from these efforts, and other key lessons from oral PrEP introduction to date, is essential to faster, smarter and more affordable rollout of future HIV prevention products, including the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring and injectable cabotegravir. These lessons are built on more than six years of analysis and collaboration with partners and reflect urgent priorities for the field. The world cannot afford to make the same mistakes twice as a growing number of tools for prevention gain regulatory approval.

Click here to watch Oral PrEP Implementation and Implications for Next Generation PrEP. You’ll hear Saiqa Mullick of WitsRHI, Joseph Murungu of Pangaea Zimbabwe AIDS Trust (PZAT), and Daniel Were of Jhpiego discuss what has worked and what must change to transform options into choices, to finally reach the targets that will end the epidemic of HIV.

These insights offer a unique opportunity to fulfill the potential of HIV biomedical prevention, demonstrate the impact of informed choice, and realize the full benefits of increasing the use of HIV prevention among those who need it most. As additional PrEP options come to market, they could transform the landscape of HIV prevention—offering more personalized options, increasing the number of PrEP users, and ultimately contributing to lower HIV incidence. These products must be accessible, acceptable and used effectively by those who need them.

This webinar follows the important discussion AVAC convened yesterday, where leading voices in the field of HIV prevention identified their priorities in 2022. Check out the recording of Ups & Downs in the Field: Setting an agenda together for 2022, and watch the January 19th discussion to focus on next steps for these priorities on getting rollout right in 2022.

Jan 13 Webinar – Ups & Downs in the Field: Setting an agenda together for 2022

[UPDATE]: Visit here for the recording, to download slides, and read a summary.

On Thursday, January 13, AVAC held Ups & Downs in the Field: Setting an Agenda Together for HIV Prevention in 2022, a webinar looking at the latest advances, disappointments and opportunities in HIV prevention.

Watch the lively conversation with Rachel Baggaley from the World Health Organization; Linda-Gail Bekker from South Africa’s Desmond Tutu Health Foundation; Grace Kumwenda of Pakachere Institute of Health and Development Communication; and Kenneth Mwehonge, the new executive director of Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS-Uganda).

2022 begins in the midst of possibility and uncertainty. Some HIV prevention interventions are advancing at record speed while others face unexpected challenges. With lessons learned from oral PrEP, new targets from UNAIDS putting social drivers of epidemics in focus, and pioneering innovation ignited in the response to COVID-19, the ability is at hand to fundamentally impact the epidemic through primary prevention. It means offering a full spectrum of much needed prevention choices to the people who need them most. And it depends on the core priorities AVAC has long championed: follow the science, center communities in the response and lead with equity.

This webinar provided an opportunity to address key questions including: where we are with the introduction of injectable CAB-LA and the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring; the development status of islatravir as a monthly pill and injectable lenacapavir as promising new PrEP agents whose trials were put on hold late in 2021; and how to ensure HIV prevention, and equitable access to innovation, do not fall further behind; and much more.

Jan 10 Webinar: How to boost vaccine uptake with John Nkengasong

[UPDATE]: Visit here to view the recording and read a summary.

On January 10th, the COVID Advocates Advisory Board (CAAB), the Coalition to Accelerate and Support Prevention Research (CASPR) and AVAC held a webinar that looked closely at how global health leaders are tackling public resistance to COVID-19 vaccines, and lessons for the HIV field.

View the recording here for Understanding—and Improving—COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake, the first in a series of webinars on vaccine confidence. WACI Health’s Rosemary Mburu will moderate a discussion with:

The causes of vaccine hesitancy are complex, but its impact on prolonging pandemics is clear. Low uptake, particularly in countries with widespread access to vaccines, is hobbling the global COVID-19 response. Learning from efforts to build confidence in effective vaccines, and in the health systems that develop, manufacture, approve and distribute them, is essential. These lessons are integral to ending the current pandemic and preparing the field for future vaccines to address HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and whatever pandemic might be next.

This webinar is part of a series hosted by the CAAB and CASPR exploring key topics in pandemic preparedness and response. The series is focused on capturing insights from the response to COVID-19 that will inform public health policy and practice moving forward. For more, visit covidadvocates.org.