H=H, the H is for Human

Stigma has a major impact on individuals, society and their health. To talk about this issues we have invited Dr. Andrew Spieldenner and Dr. Gregory Greenwood who have been working and published on this topic.

In this episode of H=H will feature the Evidence2Practice program that is aimed at promoting the interest of students of Historically Black Colleges and University Students and Minority Serving Institutions on HIV science. 

Episode 12 features an interview with Jim Pickett and his participaron in the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections CROI that took place in Seattle, Washington from February 19 – 22.  Jim Pickett facilitates the Margarita Breakfast Club, a webinar style daily event prior to the commencement of the plenaries where scientist and researchers are invited to present their research to the community.  

Episode 11 features Dr. Stephaun Wallace, Director of External Relations for the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) who shares with H=H what the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) recommendation means for HIV vaccine research and the future of HIV prevention. 

This episode marks the one-year anniversary of the H=H, the H is for Human podcast. In this episode have an announcement from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, Director of the Division of AIDS on World AIDS Day and more news. 

This episode will be dedicated to the Hispanic and Latinx Heritage month that is celebrated annually and that acknowledges the contributions of these communities to the land that they have inhabited for more than five centuries. We will also observe October 15, the National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day to raise awareness of the impact that the HIV epidemic has in these communities

Episode 8 presents the current status of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) research agenda and the role that the community plays in this process and the relevance of the inclusion of diverse populations and vulnerable groups in the conduct of HIV vaccine studies. In this episode we interview doctor Michele Andrasik, PhD who leads the social and behavioral science, and the community engagement program at the HVTN.

In this episode we have a provocative interview Jim Pickett, a long-time HIV/AIDS prevention advocate who shares with H=H part of his story as an advocate, and talks to us about desire, intimacy, pleasure, sexual health and new HIV prevention technologies. 

This episode reports on the 2022 Latinx Conference on HIV/HCV/SUD that took place on March 24-26 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We interview the conference director, Pedro Coronado, and feature three sessions/workshops that include one on Language Justice, one on how to address HIV health care providers training during the COVID-19 epidemic, and the presentation of the National Hispanic/Latinx Health Policy Agenda 2022-2024 released by the Latino Commission on AIDS.

Continuing with the health of transgender people, Episode 5 is devoted to research being conducted about the health of transgender women in the context of the Division of AIDS research agenda. Our three guests discuss the way that the Division of AIDS approaches research pertaining transgender people issues, and two researchers talk to us about their studies with transgender women and sponsored by the HIV/AIDS research networks.

A recent article published in the Journal of AIDS reported that 9.2% of trans people are living with HIV in the United States, compared to 0.5% of the general population. They are one of the groups most impacted by the HIV epidemic. As Jessica Xavier puts it, “…for the longest time, transgender persons have been the orphans of the HIV epidemic…” This episode of the H is for Human will be devoted to the health of transgender people.

This first episode of 2022 comes with an exclusive interview with Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, the Director of the Division of AIDS of the National Institutes of Health.  What is the Division of AIDS?Where is DAIDS located within the National Institutes of Health?What are the prevention and therapeutic agendas of the HIV/AIDS research networks?How is the COVID-19 pandemic impacting HIV research?What has been the role of the community in COVID-19 research? These and other questions will be addressed during this conversation with Dr. Dieffenbach. 

Episode 2 of "The H is for Human" acknowledges World AIDS Day and what it means for HIV therapeutics, prevention and vaccine research in 2021 that marks the 40th anniversary of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report of a disease that later was defined as AIDS.  This episode features Jeff Schouten, the Director of HANC, and the HIV/AIDS research networks leaders: Judy Currier (ACTG), Sharon Nachman (IMPAACT), Wafaa El-Sadr and Myron Cohen (HPTN) and Georgia Tomaras (HVTN).

This initial episode of the H is for Human introduces the audience to the Legacy Project, the Office of HIV/AIDS Network Coordination, the Legacy Project working groups, the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) of the US National Institutes of Health and the HIV/AIDS research networks.