Faculty marks World AIDS Day
with HIV discussion
To commemorate World AIDS Day 2011, Bloomberg Nursing's International Office hosted a discussion titled, “Tackling the Grand Challenge of HIV: Up Close and Personal with Canada's Rising Stars in Global Health,” with two of the University of Toronto’s Grand Challenges Canada grant recipients: Bloomberg assistant professor LaRon E. Nelson and Faculty of Social Work graduate Carmen Logie. The event was organized to help raise AIDS awareness in our communities, while learning how these two innovators are contributing to “Getting to Zero” – the theme of this year’s World AIDS Day campaign.
Nelson's project, “Kumasi & Accra Project to Prevent AIDS (KAPPA): A social network-based intervention to prevent HIV among men who have sex with men,” is aimed at reducing HIV transmission in Ghana by using social networks to reach men most at risk for infection, yet least visible and among the most difficult to access and engage in HIV prevention services. Logie’s study is centred in Leogane, Haiti, where a large segment of the population still live in internally displaced persons’ camps as the country continues to recover from the devastating earthquake of 2010. Her project will develop, deliver and evaluate an HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) intervention model using solar-powered tablets. Women who live in the camps will be asked to fill out a sexual health survey on the tablets so locally trained community health workers can assess their knowledge and provide targeted education programs.
They began by providing the context of their research and outlining their individual projects. Then the floor was opened for questions and an informal discussion about HIV prevention in marginalized communities. During this time, both Nelson and Logie emphasized that even though they are in some way connected to the communities they are helping, they are still outsiders constantly trying to understand the cultural differences and complexities in order to make their programs more effective. In addition, they encounter various barriers such as a lack of financial and informational resources and stigmas that limit their ability to make certain advances.
The most valuable aspect of the talk and its speakers was their first person experiences in the field, and their ability to communicate them openly and honestly. It was not only informative, but entertaining as they shared anecdotes as well as learning opportunities.
In support of World AIDS Day, participants were encouraged to give up something they eat/drink/use/do/etc. every day and donate that amount towards purchasing two World AIDS Day awareness stickers: one of which they keep, while the other is used to create a ribbon that will be on display at the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing.
Posted November 30, 2011