The new director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo joined AVAC Executive Director in conversation.
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AVAC in Conversation with NIAID’s Jeanne Marrazzo
Remembering a Legacy and Celebrating AVAC Fellow Alumni
For over a decade, the AVAC Advocacy Fellows Program has played a role in shaping the landscape of HIV prevention by strengthening leadership skills and building a growing and evolving network of fierce and unstoppable advocates. Last year, AVAC released A Legacy of Impact: The power and reach of AVAC’s Advocacy Fellows to tell the story of the Fellows program and to share testimonies of impact from research to policy, and beyond.
Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day dedicated to the importance of advocacy to influence change, AVAC honors its nearly 100 Fellow alumni and applauds our most recent class which closed out their fellowship in December.
Read on for testimonies from the AVAC 2022/2023 Fellows and explore their work in their individual pages.
AVAC 2022/2023 Fellows in their words
Learn about Ruth’s work around the approval and rollout of the dual prevention pill (DPP) in Uganda here.
Learn about Onward’s work with engaging religious institutions on adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Zimbabwe here.
Learn about Prince’s work ensuring access to injectable CAB for PrEP for trans people in Malawi here.
Learn about Catherine’s work in the rollout and implementation of the dapivirine vaginal ring for adolescents and young women (AGYW) in Tanzania here.
Learn about Natasha’s advocacy for the approval of the dapivirine vaginal ring and injectable CAB for PrEP in Zambia here.
Learn about Peter’s work with differentiated service delivery of PrEP and expediting new PrEP tools in Lesotho here.
Learn about Elizabeth’s work advocating for sex workers and people who use drugs (PUD) here.
Learn about Liyema’s work on advocating and implementing the decriminalization of sex work in South Africa here.
Get to know the full AVAC Fellows community by exploring the full alumni database and stay tuned to meet the 2024/2025 class to be announced in April!
Years Ahead in HIV Prevention Research: Time to Market
This timeline shows the potential time points when the next-generation of HIV prevention options might find their way into new programs.
The HIV Prevention Pipeline
This graphic shows currently available options for HIV prevention, newly approved and recommended treatment, and those in development.
PrEP That Booty: The latest on rectal microbicide research for the back door
Thursday, June 29 at 9:00 AM–10:30AM ET
Most of what we hear about regarding the HIV prevention pipeline is about long-acting, longer-acting, and even longer-acting products that deliver drug throughout the body and require a trained clinician to deliver. However, these attributes are not desirable to many folks, and communities want a range of choices. Researchers and advocates for years have been working on HIV prevention products specifically for the back door (rectum) to provide protection during anal intercourse. These products are user-controlled, non-systemic (the drug stays in the booty and only the booty), and are short-acting, so you don’t have to commit to having a prevention drug in your body for a year or longer. Join us for a dynamic discussion regarding the latest research on Booty PrEP – aka rectal microbicides – with our multi-talented panel.
Speakers include: Jonathan Baker, PA, Laser Surgery Care, Dr. Craig Hendrix, Johns Hopkins, Juan Michael Porter II, The Body, and Dr. Sharon Riddler, University of Pittsburgh
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Understanding the EMA Opinion: Next Steps for Dapivirine Vaginal Ring
On July 29, AVAC held a webinar Understanding the EMA Opinion: Next Steps for Dapivirine Vaginal Ring for advocates to learn about next steps on the regulatory process and implications for rollout from advocates, International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) and the WHO. We were joined by Zeda Rosenberg, CEO of IPM, Rachel Baggaley from the WHO, Cleopatra Makura, 2019 AVAC Fellow, and Ruth Nahurira, a trial participant.
Recording and Slides: YouTube / Zeda Rosenberg’s Slides
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Butt Stuff – All Gender HIV Prevention for Backdoor Action
On August 11, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and AVAC held a webinar to talk about the latest on rectal microbicides – where we are with research and development for HIV prevention options that focus on the butt/rectum where HIV infection often occurs? Community advocate Craig Washington read from his piece, “Giving And Getting Some: Reflecting On The Penetration Of My Manhood And My Ass” and DJ Taylor Waits spun the sounds of booty shaking liberation.
Science speakers:
- Dr. Jose A. Bauermeister, Philadelphia
- Dr. Craig Hendrix, Baltimore
- Dr. Ken Ho, Pittsburgh
Community:
- Spoken word – Craig Washington, Atlanta
- DJ – Taylor Waits, Pittsburgh
Find the recording and transcript here. Use passcode: $v62dCvi for access. Slides can be found here. And don’t forget to check out the Butt Stuff playlist from DJ Taylor Watts.
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Webinar: Are we there yet? The long and winding rectal road…
IRMA’s Marc-Andre LeBlanc and Craig Hendrix of Johns Hopkins and the Microbicide Trials Network provide a rollicking rectal recap. From the rectal dawn of research and advocacy til today, scientists and advocates have worked together tirelessly (and fiercely) to advance safe, effective, acceptable and accessible rectal microbicides for the men, women, and transgender individuals who want and need them.
With threats to the microbicide field at large coming from multiple angles, this webinar takes stock of where we have been and where we are now in terms of rectal microbicide research and advocacy to help us chart our collective course forward. We seek to ensure adequate, sustainted resources for the development of user-desired, user-initiated, short-term, non-systemic, pleasure-enancing HIV prevention options – including rectal microbicides.
Avac Event
Webinar: CROI 2018: Latest on the dapivirine vaginal ring
On March 29, Dr. Zeda Rosenberg, International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), and Dr. Jared Baeten, Microbicide Trials Network (MTN), presented on and discussed the latest data on the dapivirine vaginal ring for HIV prevention. Initial data from the HOPE and DREAM open-label extension ring trials were presented at CROI 2018 and showed that the use of the ring cut HIV risk by 50 percent. Learn more about what these initial data show us, what additional data are expected and plans for the ring in the coming year. And, as always, what can advocates do to advance the agenda?
Recording: YouTube / Audio / DREAM Slides / HOPE Slides
Avac Event
Swish or Insert Then Flirt: An update on rectal microbicides
On Thursday, September 17, IRMA and AVAC hosted this global teleconference which discussed rectal microbicide studies underway and being planned that incorporate common anal sex practices, focusing on the development of gels, douches, fast-dissolving rectal tablets (inserts) and suppositories – options that recognize the complexity of sex, human nature, pleasure and HIV.
Presenters included Jose Bauermeister (University of Pennsylvania), Kenneth Ho (University of Pittsburgh) and Craig Hendrix (Johns Hopkins). IRMA’s Jim Picket will moderated the call.
Recording: YouTube / Audio / Jose Bauermeister’s Slides / Kenneth Ho’s Slides / Craig Hendrix’s Slides