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.

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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.

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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.

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Global HIV Vaccine Awareness Day Events

On May 18 every year, HIV prevention advocates around the world raise their voices about the urgent need to continue the search for a safe and effective AIDS vaccine, and especially to recognize the enormous contribution of the thousands of volunteers who have participated in vaccine trials, without which this research would not be possible.

Here is a partial list of events that happened all around the world.

Where: Bangkok, Thailand
What: Lunchtime Briefing at Mahidol University

Details: “What’s new in HIV Vaccine?” with presentations by Dr Nakorn Premsri, Dr Supachai Rerks-ngarm, Dr Soachai Nitayaphan and Dr Robert O-Connell, moderated by Professor Punnee Pitisuttithum and introduced by Dean Professor Yaowalak Sukthana.

If you want to attend: 11.30am-1.00pm, Mahidol University, School of Tropical Medicine, 5th Floor, Chalermprakiat 50 years building

Where: New York City
What: Vaccine-o-licious: Free night of entertainment and education

Details: Vaccine-o-licious is an annual event designed to spread the word about HIV Vaccine Awareness Day. The event brings together a variety of performers uniting through dance and song. Peppermint, the NYC Queen of Vaccine, will host this exciting evening of entertainment, with a little education too!

If you want to attend: 6.30-10.30pm, Santos Party House, 96 Lafayette St. Click here to reserve your free tickets.

Where: Uganda
What: National print and radio features

Details:

Where: Kenya and Uganda
What: Media, civil society and community events

Details:
Kenya

  • May 14 – Media Breakfast Roundtable
  • May 15 – A Civil Society Leaders’ forum on advances in HIV Vaccine R&D
  • May 18 – A Community Event with fanfare and speeches in one research community in Kenya

Uganda

  • May 14 – Community medical outreach with Family Planning (FP), HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) and general treatment
  • May 15 – Community Event, including community service (cleaning), sporting activities and speeches

Where: South Africa – clinical trial site communities of Nyanga and Masiphumelele
What: Community events

Details: From 18-22 May a series of events at and around research clinical trial sites will bring community stakeholders together to 1) commemorate people who have passed due to HIV related illnesses, and 2) present updates on HIV prevention research. The events will feature:

  • The progress with regards to HIV vaccines
  • The promise of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has as a prevention tool
  • Results of clinical studies that have both excited and disappointed the field:
    • FACTS – showed that experimental vaginal gel was not effective in preventing HIV among young women, and that
    • ADAPT – showed that when South African women take PrEP daily, they will be much less likely to acquire HIV from HIV-positive sex partners

Communities will be challenged to support through participation or encourage families, neighbors and all people in society to seek to understand and rally behind clinical research.