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.NAPWHA — [email protected]’s Brent Clifton reflects on the crucial role of people living with HIV in leading and shaping the research about them in opening our World AIDS Day special seminar on 30 years of the seroconversion studies

Garrett Prestage presenting on the 30-year history of HIV Seroconversion Studies run by the Kirby Institute & partners. ~1,000 people who’d recently acquired HIV participated. Their accounts have been in integral to the development of HIV prevention strategies.

Kirby’s A/Prof Garrett Prestage has been involved in the seroconversion studies since the first study was established in 1992. He shares the history and evolution of the studies, emphasising that “hearing the voices of people recently diagnosed - it’s all very human”.

Emeritus Prof Susan Kippax shared some of the results of early seroconversion studies in which she conducted interviews with men recently diagnosed with HIV. She recalled the participants’ generosity in sharing deeply personal experiences, usually bound by feelings of love & loss

In the early 2000s, HIV was no longer a death sentence thanks to improving treatments, but as Dr Jeanne Ellard found in her interviews for the seroconversion studies at the time, social factors contributing to HIV transmission were complex #WorldAIDSDay2022 UNSW Medicine & Health NAPWHA — [email protected]

Dr Ian Down worked on the studies in the mid 2000s. HIV treatments were highly effective & the virus was redefined as a chronic, manageable condition, but PrEP wasn’t widely available & interviews revealed that the social context of prevention was still complex #WorldAIDSDay2022

New paper from RISE exploring experiences of, and adjusting to, an HIV diagnosis (message if you can't access). journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10… Key points:

On a role the past week. Another paper out highlighting the complexities of disclosing (or not) living with HIV. Our focus is on disclosing to others in non-sexual social networks. (DM if you can't access) tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

Our recent paper on reacting to HIV diagnoses was recently reported on by aidsmap. Don't want to read the full thing? Here's a great summary. Garrett Prestage Dean Murphy

End of an era

If only we had more, current journalists who understood and followed these professional precepts so clearly articulated here by Kerry O’Brien.

Ignoring this advice entrenches inequality & leaves people in our communities behind, including the 1 in 6 children growing up in poverty. As a wealthy country we can ensure people aren't having to choose between medicine & food so they can get back on their feet & contribute.

This has been my own belief for as long as I can remember

The Queensland Gay Community Periodic Survey 2022 report is published! Read here: unsworks.unsw.edu.au/fapi/datastrea… Martin Holt Tim Broady @MacgibbonJames Garrett Prestage Queensland Council for LGBTI Health (QC) Queensland Positive People - QPP Queensland Health

At 92, Barry Jones is amazing! And this article especially is worth a read.