Avac Event

Discussing Early Results from the SEARCH Dynamic Choice Study

AVAC and the SEARCH team were joined by Professor Moses Kamya of Makerere University to find out why the early results of the SEARCH Dynamic Choice study were some of the most exciting to come out of CROI in 2024.

Conducted in Kenya and Uganda, the study offered oral PrEP, PEP or injectable cabotegravir to both men and women, and an option to switch products. Prevention services were person-centered, including access to a clinician by phone at any time, clinic and community access to services, and counseling to develop personalized adherence plans. Coverage among study participants increased to 70% (compared to 13% in the standard of care), 28% of participants used two different products during the study, and the study arm ended with zero incidence of HIV compared to 1.8% in the control group. These numbers show why adding to the method mix expands the number of people who continue with prevention—even as their needs change.

The webinar consisted of a presentation by Professor Kamya, followed by a robust discussion about the role of choice in HIV prevention.

Avac Event

Watching the Watcher: Intersections of surveillance and criminalization in HIV and reproductive health care

The timing above is ET. Please click here to determine the time in your region.

Co-sponsored by the Positive Women’s Network-USA and The Choice Agenda, this webinar featured conversations with leaders in digital technology, HIV advocacy, and abortion criminalization to examine the existential threat of our ongoing blurred boundaries between public health and policing. We dove deeply into the ways that surveillance and criminalization of public health in two specific areas – HIV and reproductive health care – exacerbate structural racism, misogyny, transmisia, ableism and other forms of discrimination. We discussed how intrusive data collection without consent violates privacy rights and can discourage people from seeking the health care that they need. We also explored shared demands to protect health data privacy, bodily autonomy and human rights.

Speakers:
• Alex McClelland, Carleton University, Canadian Coalition to Reform HIV Criminalization
• Allan Maleche, Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN)
• Arneta Rogers, Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice (CRRJ) at UC Berkeley School of Law

Moderator:
Naina Khanna, Positive Women’s Network-USA

Recording / Slides / Resources

Avac Event

The More We Know: Evolving our understanding of PrEP for cisgender women

Science and real-world experience continue to demand a re-assessment of our collective understanding of the safety and effectiveness of PrEP options for women, including oral, vaginal ring, and injectable options. For instance, a new paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo (HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis with Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate Among Cisgender Women) challenges the notion, baked into policies, programs and “conventional wisdom”, that cisgender women need to be “super-adherers” to achieve protection utilizing oral PrEP. In this webinar, we discussed this important paper and more.

Speakers:
• Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Joyce Ng’ang’a, WACI Health

Moderator:
Raniyah Copeland, Equity & Impact Solutions

Materials:
Recording / Ukrainian Audio / Slides / Resources / Audio Transcript (English/Ukrainian)

Avac Event

Updates on Pediatric HIV Cure Research From CROI

Researchers Deborah Persaud and Gabriele Cromhout join AVAC’s Jessica Salzwedel to discuss the latest from CROI on pediatric cure.

Recording / Gabriele Cromhout Community Slide

Avac Event

STI Awareness Week Webinar Series (April 16 and 18)

Syphilis in the US: The current state of the epidemic and how it’s being addressed  

Tuesday, April 16, 1:00PM ET

This webinar examined the current state of the syphilis epidemic in the US and how the National Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis Syndemic Federal Task Force is addressing the response.  

Speakers included: Kate Miele and LCDR Neelam Gazarian 

This webinar was co-hosted with ASHA (American Sexual Health Association).

Recording / Slides

DoxyPEP: Prevention, effectiveness, and AMR

Thursday, April 18, 3:00PM ET

This webinar focused on sharing the latest scientific insights on DoxyPEP, its effectiveness in preventing STIs, and considerations around AMR.  

Speakers included: Fabian Kong, Annie Luetkemeyer, and Connie Celum 

Recording / Fabian Kong Slides / Connie Celum Slides

Sexually Transmitted Infections: What You Should Know About STIs and Testing

Friday, April 26, 10:00AM ET

AVAC and ASHA hosted a webinar to discuss STIs and testing with Chase Cannon, MD, MPH and Stacey Grinder, PhD, MPH.

Recording

Avac Event

MOSAIC Global PrEP Learning Network – Building a Brand for PrEP: Positioning PrEP in the Hearts and Minds of Young People


With choice of PrEP products on the horizon – including oral PrEP, the PrEP ring, and injectable cabotegravir for PrEP (CAB PrEP) – PrEP marketing and demand generation must evolve with the availability of new PrEP products. Young people, in particular, need PrEP demand generation campaigns tailored to their needs and aspirations. In this webinar, we will hear from teams working to change the landscape of PrEP marketing by applying private sector approaches to brand the PrEP category. We will also hear how they are developing fresh, dynamic, and evidence-informed campaigns to increase PrEP awareness and encourage PrEP use among young people in Africa.

This webinar is being hosted by PEPFAR, USAID, and MOSAIC.

Avac Event

Global Key Populations HIV Prevention Pre-Conference

The Global Key Populations HIV Prevention Pre-Conference is a groundbreaking pre-conference, aimed at revolutionizing HIV prevention for key populations and LGBTQI communities, is set to take place in Munich, Germany, on July 20th, 2024. Organized by the Global Black Gay Men Connect (GBGMC) in collaboration with the Key Population Advisory Group, AVAC, Coalition PLUS, and Fierté Afrique Francophone this event is a critical precursor to the 25th International AIDS Conference.

Avac Event

Decolonizing Global Public Health: Exploring the how, from now til as long as it takes

An interactive and thought-provoking discussion, this webinar critically examined a trend of historical legacies and power dynamics which if not checked, continue to shape global public health.

Participants engaged in deep reflection and dialogue to understand how colonialism, imperialism, and other systems of oppression have influenced the development and implementation of public health policies, practices, and research methodologies. The webinar further explored and contextualized strategies and approaches for decolonizing public health to promote equity and justice.

Speakers:

  • Preethi John, University College London
  • Bridget Malewezi, Mothers2mothers Malawi
  • Mareli Claassens, University of Namibia
  • Julieta Kavetuna, Member of Parliament, Namibia

Moderator:

  • Alice M. Kayongo – O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law

Recording / Slides / Audio Transcript

Avac Event

Community Breakfast Club at CROI 2024

The Community Breakfast Clubs are virtual webinars coordinated by the CROI Community Liaisons, the European AIDS Treatment Group, AVAC, and their global collaborators. They featured researchers and advocates discussing some of the most consequential science being presented at CROI.

This year, they will took place on March 4, 5, and 6 from 7AM MT to 8AM MT. For further information, you may reach out to CROI Community Liaison Jim Pickett at [email protected].

Monday March 4

Spotlight on Social and Behavioural Science at CROI 2024
Moderator:
Nicoletta Policek, European AIDS Treatment Group
Speakers:
Dr. LaRon Nelson, Yale School of Nursing, CROI Scientific Program Committee
Dr. Sari Reisner, University of Michigan, CROI Scientific Program Committee

Recording / Chat / Audio Transcript

Tuesday, March 5

Living with HIV for a Lifetime – It’s Complicated
Moderator:
Dr. Annette Sohn, amfAR, UCSF, CROI Scientific Program Committee
Speakers:
Dr. Allison Agwu, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Judith Currier, UCLA, CROI Scientific Program Committee

Recording / Chat / Audio Transcript

Wednesday, March 6

Research Roundup: Scientists and Advocates Offer Fresh Perspectives and Seasoned Analyses of CROI 2024 Research
Moderator:
Grace Kumwenda, CROI Community Liaison

Speakers:
Dr. Carlos del Rio, Emory, CROI Scientific Program Committee
Dr. Christina Farr, Case Western Reserve University
Natasha Mwila, CROI Community Educator Scholar
Moses Supercharger, CROI Community Educator Scholar Mentor

Recording / Chat / Audio Transcript

Avac Event

CROI 2024

The 31st annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI)  took place from March 3-6 in Denver, Colorado. CROI is the go-to forum for groundbreaking science in the HIV field, and this years’ program was full of exciting new research.

AVAC Daily Dispatches

AVAC sent out daily dispatches summarizing each day’s news out of CROI:

Community Breakfast Clubs

The CROI Community Liaisons, AVAC, the European AIDS Treatment Group, and partners for daily Community Breakfast Clubs organized the daily Community Breakfast Club. These virtual webinars featured researchers and advocates discussing some of the most consequential science being presented at CROI.

Recordings and transcripts available here.