The HIV Cure Academies prepare civil society to fight effectively for research that matters to the people who are most impacted by HIV. AVAC co-hosts the Advocacy-For-a-Cure Academy in Africa with the International AIDS Society (IAS) in partnership with the Africa HIV Cure Consortium (AHCC), and the US HIV Cure Academy in the US through the Martin Delaney Collaboratories (MDCs) community engagement program under REACH, PAVE and I4C, with support from additional partners. Each year, the Academies bring together people affected by HIV and leading cure researchers to explore current strategies under investigation and the implications for different populations. Following the Academies, AVAC awards at least two fellowships to Academy alumni to implement a project that advances HIV cure research in their communities.
Here are the 2026 HIV Cure Academy Fellows.
Global HIV Cure Academy Alumni Fellows in Partnership with the AHCC
Charles Brown
Charles Brown is the Founder and Executive Director of Preventive Care International, a civil society organization based in Uganda. He is a coordinator for the Africa HIV Cure Advocacy Coalition, a member of the Uganda PrEP technical working group, the Uganda communicable and non-communicable diseases technical working group, the Uganda civil society advocates network and a steering committee member of the Uganda HIV Prevention Coalition. As a 2014 AVAC Fellow, Charles led the development of PrEP guidelines for Uganda, managed recruitment and community engagement for multi-site PrEP clinical trials, coordinated PrEP demonstration projects in Uganda and formed and coordinated the CAB for the Partners PrEP trial.
Project: High Level Stakeholders Dialogue on Advancing and Sustaining HIV Cure Research and Advocacy in Uganda
The High Level Stakeholders Dialogue on Advancing and Sustaining HIV Cure Research and Advocacy in Uganda aims to strengthen and advance stakeholder involvement in HIV cure research through the creation of a platform for HIV cure researchers, policymakers, funders and advocates to dialogue on advancing and sustaining HIV cure research and the formation of an African Hub for HIV cure advocacy.
Laurel Kevine Tchmada Tayo
Laurel Kevine Tchamda Tayo is an early-career researcher at the Centre for Research on Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases (CREMER) in Cameroon. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health Biotechnology and is a field investigator for HIV research, with a specific focus on HIV cure-related studies. Laurel is dedicated to community engagement and involvement as a vital part of the HIV response and strongly believes in the power of integrating social, behavioral and ethics research into HIV cure trials.
Project: TheImpactVoices
TheImpactVoices initiative aims to bridge the gap between HIV research and the community to improve awareness and community engagement around HIV prevention, care and cure research through accessible and contextualized research dissemination, youth-centered communication and digital storytelling. The project seeks to place communities at the heart of communication and progress toward HIV cure research in Cameroon by encouraging dialogue between policymakers, researchers, healthcare stakeholders and people directly affected by HIV. Through social media campaigns, co-creation sessions and partnerships with community-based organizations, the initiative promotes accurate information, reduces stigma and strengthens community participation in research conversations. Ultimately, TheImpactVoices hopes to empower young people and people living with HIV to actively contribute to advocacy, education and sustainable health solutions in Cameroon.
Mandisa Tyadi Dukashe
Mandisa Tyadi Dukashe is a public health expert, HIV specialist and a PhD candidate with over 25 years of experience delivering health systems strengthening, multi-disease management and patient-centered care in South Africa (SA). She has been living with HIV openly for over 23 years and has worked as a strategist and systems-strengthening advisor supporting national and provincial programs in SA for over 20 years. Mandisa is a founding member of the HIV Survivors and Partners Network, a co-founder of the U=U Africa Forum, a pioneer for the South African HIV Cure Knowledge and Innovation Hub, a 2020 AVAC Fellow alumni and served as a PAVE Collaboratory and CureRoar Community Advisory Board (CAB) member.
Project: SA HIV Cure Knowledge Hub Project
The SA HIV Cure Knowledge and Innovation Hub strengthens collaboration among researchers, policymakers, advocacy partners and communities to advance equitable and community-centered HIV cure research and implementation. Through coordinated learning, evidence generation, policy engagement and a multi-sectoral owned advocacy agenda, the Hub seeks to improve access to innovative and community-informed HIV interventions, while promoting meaningful participation, trust and accountability across all levels of the response. Ultimately, the Hub aims to translate collaboration and innovation into sustainable health outcomes and improved quality of life for people affected by HIV.
US HIV Cure Academy Alumni Fellows
Amelia Poulin
Amelia Poulin, MPH, PMP, CPH is a student at the University of Illinois – Chicago, obtaining a Doctor of Public Health in Leadership. She will implement SPEAK: HIV Cures as her dissertation project to explore how community-centered dialogue and reasoned persuasion can strengthen public health system readiness for policy implementation of HIV cure research. Amelia serves as Assistant Director for Emerging Infectious Disease at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, where she supports state and territorial health departments prepare for, and respond to, infectious disease challenges. In 2025, Amelia was named a de Beaumont 40 Under 40 in Public Health honoree for her dedication, creativity and innovation in working towards healthier communities. SPEAK: HIV Cures intersects her passions for emerging science, empowering communities affected by HIV, health policy, leadership and decision making.
Project: SPEAK: HIV Cures
SPEAK: HIV Cures is a novel dialogue academy that aims to strengthen system readiness to implement HIV cure research. The Academy builds trust and skills among communities affected by HIV to proactively shape narratives about cure strategies. Alumni from the 2026 HIV Advocacy-for-a-Cure Academy, lab scientists leading HIV cure research and university students will engage in a structured training series to hear from experts in dialogue and rhetoric, HIV cure science, lived experience and health policy to generate evidence and practice effective dialogue strategies, culminating in a debate on an emerging HIV cure policy issue. The project will examine how values, beliefs and social norms influence perceptions of HIV cure research and use these insights to create practical tools that help researchers and community organizations communicate more effectively across audiences.
Kennedy Walker
Kennedy Walker is a Psychology and Human Development & Family Studies student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he is an Honors College and Guarantee Scholar. Kennedy has worked across community engagement, advocacy and research through organizations including the Florida State University Adult Trials Network, Charlotte Pride and the Office of Intercultural Engagement at UNCG. The CLEAR Toolkit is a community-informed communication and health literacy initiative designed to strengthen conversations between people living with HIV, healthcare providers, researchers and community advocates. Through stakeholder listening sessions and collaborative development, the project will create practical resources to improve communication, shared decision-making and understanding of HIV treatment and cure research. The CLEAR Toolkit aims to build trust, increase health literacy and create a scalable resource that can be adapted across HIV care, research and community settings.
Project: The CLEAR (Communication, Literacy, Education and Research) Toolkit
The CLEAR Toolkit is a community-informed communication and health literacy initiative designed to strengthen conversations between people living with HIV, healthcare providers, researchers and community advocates. Through stakeholder listening sessions and collaborative development, the project will create an HIV Information Needs Assessment, a facilitator discussion guide for providers, an educational resource handout and pilot testing materials to improve communication, shared decision-making and understanding of HIV treatment and cure research. All items will launch through local partners in the North Carolina area and hope to continue growing over time. The CLEAR Toolkit aims to build trust, increase health literacy and create a scalable resource that can be adapted across HIV care, research and community settings.