Original content from our Mapping Pathways blog team
In the first of this
three-part series, we speak to Charles Stephens of AIDS
United, a Mapping Pathways
partner organisation, and get his perspectives on the recently-concluded AIDS
2012 conference in Washington D.C. and the FDA ruling on Truvada for PrEP.
MP: Please tell us a
bit about what you do.
CS: My name is Charles Stephens and I’m the Southern
Regional Organiser for AIDS United. In that role, I work with our partners and
grantees in the southern region of the U.S. to help build their capacity to engage
in and implement advocacy work. I am very passionate about HIV prevention
research and my goal is to bridge the gap that sometimes exists between
communities and academia, researchers and practitioners.
I provide workshops on advocacy and help to build and sustain coalitions that might develop around an issue or campaign. I also help create tools such as factsheets, which are used by some of our grantees and partners in their advocacy efforts.
My role with AIDS United has given me the opportunity to
work with the Mapping
Pathways project by helping to disseminate findings and using the project
as a community education tool to raise awareness about biomedical HIV
prevention in general and ARV-based
HIV prevention in particular. Being on the ground with various communities
gives me the opportunity to draw upon the perspectives of a wide range of
stakeholders to help make the case for the significance and value of ARV-based
prevention, which is one of the aims of the Mapping Pathways project.
MP: How did the AIDS
2012 conference go? What were
some of the conversations taking place there?
CS: AIDS 2012 was
extremely exciting! It was the first time in a long time that a conference was
held in the U.S. Several conversations centered on the possibility of ending
AIDS as we know it is and we feel this possibility is within our grasp.
There have been a number of scientific breakthroughs,
particularly in the context of biomedical HIV prevention, that have given us a
lot of hope. TLC+,
PrEP and other technologies and strategies were prominently discussed and
debated.
There was also a lot of discussion about the catastrophic
HIV rates among young black gay men and possible strategies to combat that
problem. There was a charge at the conference to do more, research more and advocate
more because what we are looking at is quite devastating. There was a contrast,
though, between the optimism of envisioning an AIDS-free generation and at the
same time looking at the dismal HIV rates among young black gay men. Overall
though, I get the sense that many of us left empowered and energised.
MP: What is your
opinion on the recent FDA ruling on Truvada for PrEP?
CS: The FDA
approval of Truvada for PrEP was another exciting development that lent an
air of positivity to the conference. The FDA approval gives us more
opportunities to engage in research and demonstration around PrEP and answer
key questions.
We have to understand better how PrEP will work in real-world
settings. There are a number of questions that a lot of communities and
researchers have around PrEP and I think that the FDA approval will allow us to
look for the answers to those questions
From an advocacy perspective we are at a unique time. However,
we still have to work out accessibility issues and think about how people and
communities, particularly vulnerable communities, can afford the drug. Advocates
are also having conversations about the Affordable Care Act and
other health-care reform.
MP: Is there anything
else coming up in the near future that excites you?
CS: I’m looking
forward to The National
Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day that is coming up on September 27. The
U.S. celebrates a number of National HIV/AIDS Awareness days through the year. These
provide opportunities to raise awareness and also help de-stigmatise HIV by
acknowledging the impact HIV has on certain communities and commemorating unsung
heroes in the movement.
The impact of HIV and AIDS on my community motivates me to
go out everyday and do all that I can to change the direction things are going
in. I’m also thrilled at having the opportunity to work with a number of very
talented, skilled and committed individuals. Watching their work inspires me
and I think their stories need to be told.
Stay tuned to the blog as we bring you part two and three of our conversation with Charles, where he speaks about some of the social drivers of HIV and the disproportionate impact of HIV on some communities.
Stay tuned to the blog as we bring you part two and three of our conversation with Charles, where he speaks about some of the social drivers of HIV and the disproportionate impact of HIV on some communities.
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