AIDS' Existential Moment

About AIDS' Existential Moment

A conversation on the progress made combating the HIV/AIDS crisis and the work that remains to be done.

Publisher

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Category

government · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Jun 2019

Latest episode

7 Oct 2022

Latest episodes

43 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2022

   Matt Kavanagh: “To end AIDS and COVID-19, end inequalities.”

   In this episode, CSIS Senior Associate Jeffrey L. Sturchio speaks with Matt Kavanagh, Deputy Executive Director for Policy, Advocacy, and Knowledge at UNAIDS, where he is responsible for the organization’s work to advance policy, law and political change to end the AIDS pandemic. Matt begins by noting some of the recent advances in the science of HIV prevention and treatment (such as new tools for long-acting HIV prophylaxis), which are causes for optimism in the global response to the HIV pandemic. At the same time, there are worrying trends in new HIV infections due in part to the impact of COVID-19 and economic crises on country investments in HIV programs. Despite these challenges, some countries are still making encouraging progress in fighting HIV/AIDS. As Kavanagh observes, “science doesn’t implement itself,” and we need to look to politics and the enabling policy environment to understand why some countries are doing better than others at addressing HIV/AIDS. Countries as diverse as Botswana, Nigeria, and Thailand have responded effectively: by comparing their approaches, we find that a combination of political leadership, partnerships, community engagement, structural interventions, and changes in law and policy help to explain their success.  Another important factor in understanding success in addressing HIV/AIDS is the role of vibrant civil society and strong community response to the epidemic. Matt also discusses the importance of ending inequalities to end the AIDS epidemic: we need to know where the gaps in coverage are – by geography, income level, or key populations – and tailor interventions that work to close the gaps.  Matt concludes by calling for more investment in global public goods, not only to sustain the AIDS response, but also to be better prepared for future global pandemics. Matthew M. Kavanagh has worked internationally for more than 20 years at the intersection of global health, politics and law and comes to UNAIDS on secondment from Georgetown University, where he holds faculty appointments in international health and law and is a director at the O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law.

2. 

   30 Sept 2022

   Live from AIDS 2022 in Montreal – IAVI’s Mark Feinberg: Innovations in Prevention and Novel Partnerships Are Needed to Sustain the HIV Response

   In this crossover episode with Pandemic Planet, recorded during the International AIDS Conference in Montreal, Canada, on July 30th, Jeff Sturchio speaks with Dr. Mark Feinberg, president and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). In this interview, Dr. Feinberg addresses the continued progress in HIV prevention and treatment seen in recent years and outlines the challenges still faced in translating this progress into meaningful impact on the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDs. Turning the tide against HIV will require a decline in new infections, which highlights the need for an effective HIV vaccine. Dr. Feinberg discusses the exciting and fascinating progress being made in research on broadly neutralizing antibodies and how the lessons learned from failed vaccine efficacy trials have informed new approaches that have considerable promise for enhancing understanding of how to design effective HIV vaccines. He also explains clearly and compellingly some of the basic biology that makes HIV such a wily and difficult adversary due to its genetic diversity compared to such other pathogens as Ebola and SARS-COV-2. New tools in such areas as mRNA delivery and computational biology are being brought to bear in the search for an HIV vaccine. Dr. Feinberg concludes by expressing his hope that the scientific challenges of HIV will continue to attract the next generation of creative young scientists. Mark Feinberg leads a global team at IAVI working to advance the development of vaccines and other biomedical innovations to protect against infection with HIV, TB, and other infectious diseases that have a disproportionate impact on low-income countries. Prior to joining IAVI in late 2015, Feinberg served as chief public health and science officer with Merck Vaccines. Dr. Feinberg holds an M.D. and a Ph.D. from Stanford University, and a B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

3. 

   23 Sept 2022

   Live from AIDS 2022 in Montreal – Solange Baptiste: Addressing Structural Barriers to Achieve Equitable Access to HIV Treatment for All

   In this crossover episode with Pandemic Planet, recorded during the International AIDS Conference in Montreal, Canada, on July 30th, Jeff Sturchio speaks with Solange Baptiste, Executive Director of the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC). This is one in a series of podcasts in which we explore what needs to be done to end the AIDS pandemic, both globally and domestically. In this wide-ranging interview, Ms. Baptiste addresses the issues that are still creating barriers to equitable access to HIV treatment around the world. She contrasts the excitement at new developments like long-acting prevention tools with the persistent challenge of inequities in HIV care and treatment, especially in middle-income countries. She speaks eloquently of access as a human right and the importance of educating and empowering affected communities to take the lead in creating new solutions. Ms. Baptiste makes a strong case that the world won’t achieve access for all unless we tackle structural barriers and power imbalances – and redesign systems to address the needs of people living with or at risk of HIV infection. Solange Baptiste assumed her current role as Executive Director of ITPC in 2016. She leads community activists and allies across the globe to deliver ITPC’s mission to enable people in need to gain access to optimal and affordable HIV treatment through treatment education, demand creation, community-based monitoring, and interventions to make medicines more affordable. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Tuskegee University and her Master of Science in Population and International Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. Solange is committed to ensuring that the voice of affected communities contributes to and influences the decisions and policies that affect their lives.

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