Webinars

During this installation of our community conversations, panelists Julio Fonseca, Asha Molock, and Renae Taylor shared how they found the strength to share their stories as people with HIV in ways that were impactful while recognizing trauma. Self-care is important. Moderated by Tiommi Luckett.

What is the Biden-Harris administration's plan for and action on #HIV 100 days in? What is Congress up to? What policy demands have networks of people living with HIV already made, and what else are we thinking about? How can HIV advocates push for meaningful progress on the issues that matter most to us?

We discussed all this and more on a special 2-hour Facebook Live on the US PLHIV Caucus page and on PWN's YouTube Tuesday, May 4, co-hosted by the National Working Positive Coalition, Positive Women's Network - USA, Positively Trans, Ribbon, the Sero Project, Thrive SS, and the US PLHIV Caucus!

The US People Living with HIV Caucus, in partnership with AIDS United, hosted a virtual convening for the People Organizing Positively Project. The purpose of the convening was to share news on projects the organizations who were awarded the POP Year 6 grant are working on. It was a chance for folks to introduce themselves to the other grantees and have a connection with other individuals and organizations.

Building Leaders of Color is a training program for people of color living with HIV. The Denver Principles set the tone for the HIV movement, now embodied in the Meaningful Involvement of People living with HIV/AIDS (MIPA). What does MIPA mean in the HIV movement for people of color? This webinar will discuss MIPA and its challenges, as well as strategies for people of color living with HIV and our allies in identifying and working towards meaningful involvement, centering communities most impacted.

No one will protect our rights for us; we must protect ourselves. We must protect our most vulnerable communities and other marginalized individuals! You have a voice!

This town hall was organized around several questions:

• What did we learn from this webinar series? 
• How well do we understand the differences between the research use of this technology versus the public health use? 
• What are our concerns with the rollout of MHS? 
• What do we want and need moving forward? 
• We understand the goals of public health, but do those goals mean more than the rights and privacy of PLHIV? 
• How do we express our concerns of increased policing and surveillance in our communities?

In part 3 of this series, we turn our attention to the public health use of HIV genetic sequencing known as molecular HIV surveillance (MHS). Dr. Eugene McCray will explain MHS from the perspective of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We will then hear from Naina Khanna (Positive Women’s Network-USA) who will discuss ethical and social justice considerations for MHS

Phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relationships among biological entities (involving diagrams called phylogenetic trees). This is one of the ways that researchers are using HIV genetic sequencing to approach research questions about HIV cure, prevention, and treatment. In this second webinar in the series, Dr. Carl Dieffenbach will explain phylogenetics, how it is being used in HIV research, and how the communities most impacted by HIV are being prioritized in this research. Venita Ray will then share recommendations for conducting this research ethically.

This first webinar in the series will focus on HGS from the perspectives of people living with HIV. While HGS is a powerful research and public health tool, it also raises some critical ethical concerns. In particular, we are concerned with how certain parts of the HIV community are more heavily policed. In this webinar, we invite community leaders to discuss policing and law enforcement on African Americans, Latinx folks, sex workers, people of trans experience, and in the HIV space. We will discuss how HGS could have potential impacts on these communities.

Introduction to policy briefs, the partners and an overview of the gathering.

The purpose of the webinar was to provide a quick MIPA review, discuss what MIPA looks like inside the organizations of the People Organizing Positively Project Year 3 grantees, share MIPA models, discuss whether the POP MIPA assessment is useful or not, and brainstorm MIPA categories