In these exceptional times, how is health equity research faring? What can we collaboratively do to sustain and continue this important work which is so critical to supporting healthy communities and an HIV response? How can academia and community better synergize and mobilize? How do we know what to do next?

There is no one answer, and instead different approaches are necessary. On August 13, The Choice Agenda and global leaders discussed options, strategies, tactics, contexts and perspectives we need to consider to continue progress toward health equity.

Speakers/panelists:

• Dr. Annesa Flentje, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University and The PRIDE Study, Stanford University
• Dr. Brian Mustanski, Northwestern University Impact Institute
• Grace Kumwenda, AVAC
• Luciana Kamel, Community Advocate and PhD Candidate in Public Health, Instituto Medicina Social (IMS/UERJ), Brazil
• Dr. Tabea Hässler, University of Zurich

Recording / Transcript / Slides / Resources

On Wednesday, July 15, The Choice Agenda and Hunter College’s Dr. Sarit Golub held a participatory discussion on implementation science – including opportunities, pitfalls and ways in which community leadership – beyond perfunctory “engagement” – is essential to success. What are the different types of implementation science, and how do we move forward with community and front-line implementers at the helm?

Speaker
Dr. Sarit Golub, Hunter College
BLUPrint

Recording / Slides / Transcript

During the webinar, AVAC and partners launched the CASPR Impact Report, which details the achievements of the Coalition to Accelerate & Support Prevention Research (CASPR) over the course of 8+ years. We shared wins, discuss lessons for the field and provided perspectives on the future of HIV prevention advocacy with AVAC’s global network.

Learn more about CASPR.

Powerful research focused on transgender people was presented at CROI 2026. Join this webinar to hear from three scientists who shared their work, exploring everything from cervical tissues to healthcare policies and community priorities beyond HIV prevention and care.

Speakers

• Bokani Nleya, University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Sari Reisner, University of Michigan
• Yuanqi Mi, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Moderator

• Brian Minalga, Office of HIV/AIDS Network Coordination (HANC)

Materials
Recording / Slides / Resources / Transcript

Innovations in infectious disease prevention and control can exacerbate, rather than reduce, health inequities. More advantaged populations and higher-income countries are often better positioned to benefit from new technologies, while infectious disease risk and limited access to health services remain concentrated among disadvantaged groups.

These patterns, often described as “inverse laws”, are not inevitable. Evidence from multiple settings demonstrates that their underlying determinants are modifiable.

This symposium marks the launch of the Infectious Disease Equity (InDiE) Consortium, a collaborative initiative involving researchers from Zimbabwe, Zambia, The Gambia, South Africa and Kenya. The consortium aims to develop an equity-focused framework to support the implementation of new technologies without widening existing disparities in health access.

Speakers

• Professor Richard Cookson, University of York, UK – The Inverse Care Law and Equity Tradeoffs
• Ms Grace Kumwenda, AVAC (Africa Region) – Ending inequitable access to prevention and treatment interventions: A community perspective
• Professor Cesar Victora, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil – The Inverse Equity Hypothesis: Lessons from the Field
• Dr Primrose Matambanadzo, CeSHHAR, Zimbabwe – The Infectious Disease Equity Consortium

Chairs

Professor Clare Bambra and Dr Ngozi Erondu, Co-chairs of the InDiE Consortium International Advisory Group 

A conversation on lenacapavir, community access, and what happens next.

Moderator

• Richard Lusimbo, Ugandan LGBT activist, documentary filmmaker, and public speaker

Speakers

• Brian Aliganyira, Executive Director, Ark Wellness Hub
• MacLean Kyomya, Founder and ED, AWAC
• Kenneth Mwehonge, Executive Director, HEPS Uganda
• Bridget N Jjuuko, Regional Manager, AVAC

This interactive webinar invited HIV prevention advocates and movement workers to explore how storytelling can be a tool for resistance and possibility, especially now. Drawing on the Storytelling Project Model, we examined the stories that shape our work, surfaced examples of resistance from within and beyond the HIV movement, and practiced generating the emerging stories we need for the future we’re building.

Speaker
Oni Blackstock, MD, MHS
Founder and Executive Director, Health Justice

Recording / Slides / Transcript