Avac Event

The Adolescent Medicine Trials Network (ATN): Research addressing HIV health inequities among US adolescents and young adults

Join us for an overview of the newest cycle of the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network! This webinar will highlight ATN 165: Linking Youth to PrEP Services (LYPS) which tests an innovative mobile delivery and mHealth intervention to optimize PrEP adherence and persistence among sexual minority men, ATN 167: Legal, Economic, and Affirming Peer Support (LEAP) for transgender and gender diverse youth, and how the network prioritizes and amplifies the voices of youth directly impacted by the ATN’s pivotal research.

Speakers Include:

  • Dr. Lisa Hightow-Weidman, ATN Principal Investigator, College of Nursing Florida State University
  • Dr. Sybil Hosek, ATN Principal Investigator, University of Illinois-Chicago
  • Dr. Sari Reisner, University of Michigan School of Public Health
  • Dr. Kristi Gamarel, University of Michigan School of Public Health
  • Dr. Kate Muessig, Florida State University
  • Dr. Audrey Pettifor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Zoe Njemanze, ATN Subject Matter Research Consultant
  • Kendrick Forte, ATN Subject Matter Research Consultant
  • Rodrigo Cabrera, ATN National Community Advisory Board

Recording / Slides / Resources

Avac Event

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month Webinar Series (Jan 11 to Feb 1)

Webinar 1: Cervical Cancer: What, where, and prevention and treatment options

Thursday January 11, 8:00AM/4:00PM EAT

This webinar provided an overview of cervical cancer including what cervical cancer is, who is impacted, and prevention and treatment options.

Speakers included: Helen Kelly, Shona Dala, and Maribel Almonte Pacheco, WHO and Michelle Chevalier, US Department of State—Bureau of Global Health Security & Diplomacy/PEPFAR

Recording / Helen Kelly Slides

Webinar 2: Advocacy and Cervical Cancer: Voices that are creating change

Thursday January 18, 8:00AM/4:00PM EAT

During this webinar, we heard from advocates on how they have used their voice to bring more attention to cervical cancer and its impact on communities.

Speakers include: Tamika Felder, Cervivor and Karen Nakawala, Teal Sisters Foundation Zambia

Recording / Tamika Felder Slides / Karen Nakawala Slides

Webinar 3: Screening and Treating Cervical Cancer

Thursday January 25, 8:00AM/4:00PM EAT

During this webinar, speakers discussed options for screening and treating cervical cancer along with ongoing research.

Speakers include: Fred Wyand, American Sexual Health Association/National Cervical Cancer Coalition and Bothwell Guzha, University of Zimbabwe

Recording / Fred Wyand Slides / Bothwell Guzha Slides

Webinar 4: Cervical Cancer Among Key Populations

Thursday February 1, 8:00AM/4:00PM EAT

This webinar explored how cervical cancer impacts key populations and those vulnerable to HIV infections.

Speakers include: Samiya Mahmoud, Association for the Prevention of Septic Abortion, Bangladesh (BAPSA) and Shona Dalal, Helen Kelly, WHO

Recording / Samiya Mahmoud Slides / Helen Kelly Slides

Avac Event

PrEPVacc: An in-depth look at the trial, and what’s next

During this webinar, the PrEPVacc team and AVAC reviewed the status of the PrEPVacc trial. PrEPVacc, a 3-in-1 trial testing two different vaccine candidates (plus placebo arm) and two daily oral PrEP regimens, recently discontinued vaccinations in the trial due to an independent data review board’s conclusion that the vaccines were having no effect in preventing HIV infection. On this call, we will review key aspects of PrEPVacc, including its innovative study design, implementation, integrated social science, and data analysis plans. Speakers engaged in conversation about what we’ve learned from PrEPVacc, what we can still learn, and what this may mean for the HIV prevention field.

  • PrEPVacc Trial Design: Sheena McCormack, PrEPVacc Project Lead, MRC Clinical Trials Unit, University College London, UK
  • Trial Implementation and Baseline Data: Eugene Ruzagira, PrEPVacc Trial Director, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit
  • Integrated Social Science: Rachel Kawuma, PrEPVacc Social Scientist, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit
  • Analysis Plan: Sheila Kansiime, PrEPVacc Statistician, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit

Recording / Sheena McCormack Slides / Eugene Ruzagira Slides / Rachel Kawuma Slides / Sheila Kansiime Slides

Avac Event

Reporting the African Science Story: Decoding scientific research to support public health in Africa

Eastern time zone

Generating compelling and nuanced media stories on health and science depends on strong connections between researchers and providers, journalists reporting the story, and civil society and community members who have critical perspectives to share. Researchers need skills to explain science in plain language and be open to questions. Civil society and affected communities are also a crucial component to strong news coverage, providing advocacy perspectives that capture the full impact of a given issue. 

Since 2012, AVAC has worked to support health journalist associations in East and Southern Africa to strengthen the capacity of journalists to report on HIV prevention research. In 2020, AVAC expanded this work to include COVID science. Through the Media Science Café Program, AVAC partners with health media associations in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe to bring journalists together with researchers, implementers, civil society, policy makers, regulators and policy makers to build relationships that will foster accurate reporting of HIV, COVID and other science or health stories in those countries. 

The monthly cafés are structured as informal meetings with 20-30 journalists and expert speakers. Experts in the field gather to present and discuss timely health topics. 

Moderators: Kay Marshall, AVAC Zarina Geloo, Zambia Media Cafe Convener

Speakers: Esther Nakkazi, Uganda Media Cafe Convener Anna Miti, Zimbabwe Media Cafe Convener

Recording / Slides / Resources

Avac Event

African Civil Society Mobilization for PEPFAR Reauthorization

Tuesday, November 28 at 7:00 AM ET

Moderator: Richard Muko, Regional Implementation Advocacy Manager, AVAC

Panelists: Joan Chamungu, Tanzanian Network of Women Living with HIV, Lawrence Khonyongwa, Malawi Network of People of Living with HIV, TBC, African Network of Youth Living with HIV, Annette Gaudino, Advocacy Coalition Manager, GAPP

Hosted by African Network of Youth Living with HIV (AY+), East African Network of AIDS Serving Organizations (EANNASO), Key Populations Trans-National Collaboration (KPTNC) and Coalition to build Momentum, Power, Activism, Strategy & Solidarity (COMPASS)

Join civil society organizations in PEPFAR recipient countries to discuss the status and political context of the current reauthorization and mobilize to call on the US Congress to recommit this life sustaining program. Bring your questions and please share this invitation widely in your relevant networks.

Recording / Slides

Avac Event

Sex, Gender & HIV Cure Research

Wednesday, December 6, 1:00 to 2:00 PM ET

This webinar reviewed core concepts discussed in the previous webinar, Let’s Talk About HIV Cure Research: An Introduction to the science under investigation and introduce how hormones may impact cure strategies. 

This webinar featured Dr. Jessica Prodger of Western University.

Objectives: 

  1. Review key concepts and terminology of HIV cure
  2. Known sex differences of HIV progression
  3. Potential impact of hormones on HIV cure strategies

Recording

Avac Event

Let’s Talk About HIV Cure Research: An Introduction to the science under investigation

Wednesday, November 15, 11:00 to 12:30 PM ET

Dr. Marina Caskey of Rockefeller University and members of the REACH Community Advisory Board hosted a webinar on November 15 to review the current state of HIV cure research. This webinar explored what makes curing HIV so challenging, the strategies being pursued, and what is happening in locally in NYC!

Avac Event

Pandemic Accord Briefing for Civil Society & Community Partners

The Pandemic Accord negotiations are ongoing, and should come to fruition next year. What do they mean for your work, your country, and the future of global health?

On Tuesday, November 21, 8:00 to 9:30 AM EST / 2:00 to 3:30 PM CEST, advocates came together to discuss two years of talks and what’s next to progress global health equity.

Avac Event

Africa Health R&D Week

Save the Date: Tuesday, November 21 to Friday, November 24

Africa Health R&D Week 2023 is designed to recognize achievements and step up advocacy for sustainable financing of health R&D through domestic resource mobilization (DRM) in Africa.

Inaugurated in 2022, the Africa Health R&D Week is a continental movement that builds bridges between researchers, policy makers, regulators, civil society advocates and community members committed to Africa’s health transformation through health R&D, and innovation. 

This year the four-day virtual forum focuses on the need for sustainable support for vaccine development and manufacturing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM). The 2023 edition will leverage South-South learning, by eliciting/ linking lessons and experiences from Asia and Africa.

Hosted by IAVI, in partnership with  AVAC under the USAID-funded Coalition to Accelerate and Support Prevention Research (CASPR), the forum will discuss:

Day 1 – The aspirations, the reality and the gaps in Vaccine Manufacturing in LMICs (underscoring Africa)

Day 2 – African Countries contribution to the continental vision (Case studies of building manufacturing capacity) 

Day 3 – Industry perspectives from Africa and Asia: Opportunities and challenges, and addressing the issue  of sustainability 

Day 4 – Advocates workshop to develop an advocacy roadmap to champion vaccine manufacturing

Avac Event

PrEP Resources Showcase

Monday, November 20, 8:00 to 9:30 AM ET

This dynamic, workshop-style showcase was the first of a series that featured multimedia presentations that took participants through key PrEP resources including: A toolkit to ensure programs related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV prevention are well designed to reach and support adolescent girls and young women. Comprehensive databases for tracking PrEP uptake, Implementation research and other critical data by product, country, and population.  

Small groups had opportunities to take deep dives into each of the above resources, and explore how they might use these in their work. Additionally, participants provided input on what resources are still needed, collaborate on how to improve and disseminate what exists, and support the development of evidence and networks to advance HIV prevention.

Global PrEP Tracker video / Integrated Study Dashboard video / Breaking the Cycle Toolkit video