Science, Funding, and Young Leaders at AIDS 2026

On the first full day of AIDS 2026 in Rio, the A Shot in the Arm podcast (with the International AIDS Societies Young Leaders Program) captures excitement about new HIV science alongside anxiety over PEPFAR-related funding cuts and debate about reliance on a single donor. Guests include Florence, a Botswana-Harvard lab research scientist studying HIV/HBV coinfection and occult hepatitis B, reporting mutation findings (notably in the HBx region) and urging more inclusive OBI screening and greater HBV visibility at AIDS conferences; Bernard, a Nigerian doctor practicing emergency medicine in Russia, proposing integrating HIV awareness into existing emergency/ambulance systems to reduce stigma and cost; and returning guest Maggie Duncan, who presents work improving the Intact Proviral DNA Assay for measuring HIV reservoirs across subtypes. They discuss partnerships, private sector roles, long-term post-2030 HIV response, stigma, and unequal access to technologies and reagents. 00:00 Welcome From Rio 00:30 Conference Mood Check 01:08 PEPFAR Tensions 02:13 Meet The Guests 02:30 Florence HBV HIV Research 06:04 Clinical Coinfection Basics 07:08 Bernard Emergency Integration 10:18 Stigma Sparked A Pivot 11:45 Maggie Reservoir Assay 13:53 Florence Poster Deep Dive 19:18 Partnerships And Funding 22:58 Private Sector Debate 27:18 Beyond 2030 Future Outlook 31:27 Access Equity And Stigma 34:47 Closing Thanks Guests: Florence Gaone, IAS Young Leader: Research Scientist, Botswana Harvard Health Partnership Bernard Adorbe, IAS Young Leader: Medical doctor- Hospital of Emergency Medical Services, Rostov on don, Russia Maggie Duncan, IAS Young Leader: PhD Student at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University Vancouver Canada AIDS 2026 https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026 Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health. #hivaids #HIV #AIDS #globalhealth #AIDS2026