Avac Event

From the Booty’s Point of View: Using perceptibility data to inform rectal microbicide development

Rectal microbicide development has made strides in recent years, but, as with vaginal microbicides, adherence remains a concern for product developers.

There are two “P” words we have always loved – pleasure and prevention.

Perceptibility is a new strategy for evaluating what products feel like and how they “behave” in the body (in the booty as well!), during insertion, everyday activities, and, of course, during sex. The hope is that, by understanding how product characteristics impact how they are felt and understood by potential users, we can better design products for pleasure and prevention.

In this presention, Kate Morrow explained the third “P” word, perceptibility. She told us why it is so crucial to both pleasure and HIV prevention, how the perceptibility process works, and how it helps create rectal microbicide products that people actually want to use.

View the full webinar here.

Avac Event

2015 AVAC Advocacy Fellowship Informational Call

This webinar provided an overview of the AVAC Advocacy Fellowship and the 2015 application process for aspiring candidates. The Fellowship team at AVAC was joined by current and alumni Fellows to answer questions and discuss their experiences. For more information, visit the Fellowship application page.

Avac Event

Do we need a new paradigm for HIV vaccine development?

The Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative (CHVI) Research and Development Alliance Coordinating Office (ACO) invites you to join us for a webinar entitled “Do we need a new paradigm for HIV vaccine development?” with Dr. José Esparza who will give participants a greater understanding of some of the lessons learned after 30 years of HIV vaccine development.

This webinar will include a brief history of HIV vaccine development, some reflections about why it has been so difficult, and personal recommendations to accelerate the development of an HIV vaccine.

With José Esparza MD, PhD, formerly of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and Adjunct Professor, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine

To register contact [email protected]

Avac Event

State of the Art HIV Cure: Where are we now and where are we going?

The field of cure research is evolving and expanding, with various proposed trials that require informed engagement from many stakeholders. Plenary speaker, Jintanat Ananworanich, provides an update, discusses research, and answers questions.

Avac Event

UNAIDS, Targets and Civil Society

In Melbourne, UNAIDS launched a new initiative known as “90-90-90”, which lays out new targets for testing, treatment and virologic suppression. Where did these targets come from, what do they mean—and where does prevention fit in? Chris Collins, Chief of the Community Mobilization Division at UNAIDS addressed these questions and more.

Avac Event

Latest developments in VMMC research and implementation

AIDS 2014 brought more updates on voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) including new data on risk behaviors in circumcised men, the impact of cash transfers as part of VMMC programming and more. Kenyan researcher and implementer Kawango Agot reviewed the latest findings.

Avac Event

Results of the iPrEx open-label extension (iPrEx OLE): PrEP uptake, sexual practices and HIV incidence

Get details on the iPrEx OLE study from principal investigator Robert Grant, who presented the data at AIDS 2014. The first open-label PrEP study to publish results, these data from iPrEx OLE begin to answer a number of questions on PrEP use in the “real world”.

Avac Event

Data and Uncertainty: Understanding updates on hormonal contraceptives and HIV

AIDS 2014 featured analyses of data on the potential relationship between hormonal contraceptives and risk of HIV infection. Researchers Charles Morrison (FHI 360) and Kristin Wall (Emory University), and Mary Lyn Gaffield from the WHO discussed the newest findings and guidance.

Avac Event

PrEP me, please: Understand PrEP’s role in women’s health & safer conception

Presenters:

  • Shannon Weber, MSW, Director, Perinatal HIV Hotline, Bay Area Perinatal AIDS Center
  • Erika Arron, MSN, CRNP Assistant Professor, Drexel University College of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine
  • Caroline Watson, volunteer outreach for BAPAC and PRO Men
  • Dazon Dixon Diallo, MPH, Founder and President, SisterLove, Inc. (Moderator)

Avac Event

PrEP Rally 4: What does PrEP mean for women?

A New-York based panel discussion featured doctors, PrEP users, activists, focusing on what PrEP means for women.

Guest Panelists:
Lynette Ford, MSW, GMHC
Jasmine, Woman currently using PrEP
Julie Lynn, Woman currently using PrEP
Poppy, Woman who was on PrEP when trying to get pregnant
Kimberleigh J. Smith, Harlem United Community AIDS Center
Shobha Swaminathan, MD, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Rutgers, The State University Of New
Jersey New Jersey Medical School

Guest Moderator:
Terri L. Wilder, MSW, Mt. Sinai Institute for Advanced Medicine & ACT UP/NY Women’s Caucus

The discussion is free and all are welcome. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information, email [email protected] or call (212) 367-1016. And spread the word! Flyer available for download below.