Avac Event

IAS (International AIDS Society) 2023

The 12th annual conference of the International AIDS Society (IAS) on HIV science takes place July 23–26 in Brisbane, Australia, and virtually. This year’s conference will offer the latest on vaccine and cure science, research updates on broadly neutralizing antibodies, important discussions on trial design in the era of PrEP, the potential of community-led models of care and the importance of integrating services for HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH). AVAC and partners will be there! Read on for an overview.

Just ahead of the conference, UNAIDS released their annual state of the epidemic report, The Path that Ends AIDS. The report charts a path that can end AIDS, and documents important progress, but challenges remain. Among them, global resources for HIV are marking another year of decline. With anti-LGTBQIA+ legal actions increasing in the US and in several African countries and reduced resources, efforts to end the epidemic will fail. See AVAC’s new graphic on the issue.

IAS Resources

  • Use AVAC’s Roadmap to find sessions where prevention, pandemic preparedness and the larger issues of global health equity are in the spotlight. You can download it as a sortable spreadsheet or PDF.
  • Follow events in real time, AVAC will offer comments and updates on Twitter, and our friends at NAM/AIDSMAP will be reporting throughout the conference. Join the conversation using the conference hashtag #IAS2023.

Satellites, Sessions and Panels Featuring AVAC and Partners

All times listed are local in Brisbane, Australia. Click for a time zone converter.

Sunday, July 23

Tuesday, July 25

Wednesday, July 26

Poster Presentations

  • No Data No More: A tool to end the exclusion of trans and gender-diverse people in HIV research
  • Raising New Voices in HIV Cure Research: A review of an advocacy-for-cure academy and grant program
  • The Value of Measuring Outcomes of HIV Advocacy: Utilising a novel and participatory approach for advocacy evaluation
  • HIV Prevention Research & Development Investments 2001-2021: Shifting investment priorities fund innovation in a challenging global health landscape
  • Revolution of Transgender Health Programming: The role of transgender activists in Health programming for Malawi

While many will be gathering in Australia for the IAS conference, the 27th International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research (ISSTDR)is happening in Chicago at the same time – and AVAC will be there, too. Stay tuned for an update later this week for AVAC’s STI Roadmap and dedicated STI conference page. Advocates, implementers and researchers in both fields have much work to do together.

Avac Event

STI & HIV World Congress (ISSTDR) 2023

The STI & HIV World Congress (also known as ISSTDR) kicks off in Chicago, Illinois, USA and AVAC will be there. This is the first major face-to-face meeting of STI & HIV professionals since 2019 and one of the only spaces the global STI community comes together to promote ongoing STI research efforts and exchange information on current investigations. This is also the first time AVAC is attending ISSTDR in hopes of expanding STI advocacy and community engagement.

STI & HIV World Congress Resources 

Visit STIWatch.org, a new resource for the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) community to better understand and advocate for STI vaccine and diagnostics research, development and rollout.

STI & HIV World Congress 2023 Roadmap

Check out some AVAC-featured sessions below.

The STI Prevention Pipeline: Where Are We, and What Will It Take to Move Forward Faster?
Monday, July 24 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM in the Cadmium Room
Join us to explore the current development and implementation stages of STI vaccines and diagnostics and identify ways to accelerate research through advocacy.

Symposium: New Vaccine Approaches to STI Prevention STI Vaccine Acceptance and Equity
Tuesday, July 25 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM in Chicago 6
Join AVAC’s Alison Footman to dive into the topic of STI vaccines and equity as new interventions come into reach.

Setting Up a Remote/Home Testing STI Programme: A Practical Toolkit
Thursday, July 25 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM in Sheraton IV/V Room
Join us to explore the power of remote testing to affordably curb STI acquisitions.

Community Happy Hour 
Monday, July 24, 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Lizzie McNeill’s
Join AVAC and partners for a no frills happy hour for the STI community. All are welcome! 

ISSTDR Advocacy Zone 
Monday, July 24 to Thursday, July 27 at the Exhibit Hall
Visit the Advocacy Zone, a space to ask important questions, connect with fellow STI advocates, and begin to chart next steps in advancing STI R&D.

Avac Event

STD Engage 2023

STD Engage 2023 will take place in-person in New Orleans, Louisiana (US) this year from May 16-18, 2023, with pre-conference events on May 15.

STD Engage is an annual US meeting that brings together state and local sexual health professionals and their community-based partners for cross-jurisdictional collaboration and problem-solving. This conference is hosted by National Coalition of STD Directors.

Avac Event

AIDSImpact Conference

June 12 to 14, 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other ongoing conflicts in the world, have globally disrupted health services and affected treatment and psychosocial care of people living with HIV.

HIV prevention including HIV testing has also been negatively affected.
In order to ensure that HIV continues to feature on the worldwide agenda, focus and determination will be required.

The theme of the AIDSImpact 2023 is therefore. Power for Action Now!

Registration and more details here.

Avac Event

HIV Cure Research and The Black Diaspora: Reaching critical voices

Join the REACH collaboratory on May 3 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM ET at African Services (427 W 127th St. in Harlem) for a conversation on the importance of engaging diverse populations at every stage of HIV cure research! Food and Drinks Provided from Maison Harlem and doors open at 6:00 PM ET. Help us get the right amount of food by registering in advance!

Register here.

More info in the flier below:

Avac Event

Global PPPR Equity: Why do we need agreements on IP and tech transfers?

April 6, 2023, 9:00AM Washington/2:00PM London/4:00PM Nairobi

Over the past two decades, HIV advocates have engaged in hard battles for equitable access to HIV/AIDS drugs and prevention options and have had some big wins. The process of these negotiations has led to strong relationships that have enshrined certain equity provisions as standard in clinical trials and manufacturing of HIV drugs. Through these battles, we’ve learned clear lessons on the necessity for such agreements and what’s required to secure them.

Throughout global PPPR agreements in 2023, governments and advocates in the Global South are asking for provisions on equity in the form of temporary IP waivers, mandatory tech transfer, and mandatory licensing for pandemic tools.

This panel will discuss lessons from the HIV epidemic and explore why governments of the Global South and advocates think we still need to address ‘the IP question’.

Featured Speakers: Fifa Rahman, Brook Baker, Fitsum Lakew, and Esteban Burrone

Register here.

Avac Event

Global Fund Investing

Summary of the Global Fund investment case, and the recently released Results Report for 2022, which features information on the number of lives saved and the impact of $18 billion in spending.

View the recording.

Avac Event

PEP Needs Some pep! Addressing PEP Neglect in HIV Prevention Research, Programming and Uptake

PEP, post-exposure-prophylaxis, is an HIV prevention intervention marked by both great promise and profound neglect. It is useful in both occupational and non-occupational contexts—yet uptake, especially in non-occupational contexts—is poor in most places on the planet. Our panel unpacked the issues and offered research, policy, and programming ideas to address PEP neglect and realize its potential.

Speakers

  • Dr. James Ayieko, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
  • Dr. Julie Fox, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust/ Kings College
  • Dr. Ken Mayer, Fenway Institute/Harvard
  • Njambi Njuguna, FHI 360/MOSAIC
  • Ace Robinson, PCAF

Recording / Slides / Resources

Avac Event

Doxycycline for STI Prevention: Evidence and Current Research

Very high STI prevalence is being observed globally. Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (dPEP) has been proposed as an STI prevention strategy to reduce chlamydia, syphilis, and possibly gonorrhea, and trials are ongoing among cisgender gay and bisexual men as well as African cisgender women. Join us to hear the latest scientific data and discuss implications for policy and program.

Speakers:

  • Dr. Connie Celum, University of Washington
  • David C. Harvey, National Coalition of STD Directors
  • Dr. Victor Omollo, Kenya Medical Research Institute
  • Rodney Perkins, University of Washington
  • Dr. Jenell Stewart, University of Washington

Register here.

Avac Event

Private Sector Delivery Opportunities for the Dual Prevention Pill (DPP)

Lessons from family planning (FP) for the introduction of multi-purpose prevention technologies (MPTs)

The Dual Prevention Pill (DPP) is a daily pill being developed for simultaneous pregnancy and HIV prevention. With anticipated rollout of the DPP just two years away, planning for where to introduce the DPP in the private sector will be critical for ensuring access, but will hinge on where PrEP delivery is already permitted.

In this webinar, we shared new findings on private sector opportunities for the DPP in Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe. We explored lessons and successes from the FP experience to identify how FP/SRH stakeholders can help pave the way for smooth introduction of MPTs like the DPP in private sector channels.

Recording / Slides / Resources