IAPAC NEWS BULLETIN FEBRUARY 2021
IAPAC Hosts LGBTQ+ Panel on COVID-19

Alphonso David, President of the US-based Human Rights Campaign (HRC), opened an IAPAC panel on LGBTQ+ issues during the COVID-19 pandemic during a February 3, 2021, session of the COVID-19 in The Americas conference series.

“From the AIDS crisis to the relentless attacks on who we are and who we love, we have seen our fair share of struggles,” said David. “But in each of these struggles, we have banded together.”

Entitled “LGBTQ+ Communities: Challenges and Needs during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” the session also included Jumoke Patrick, Executive Director of the Jamaican Network of Seropositives, and Helen Kennedy, Executive Director of Egale Canada. The session is available for viewing on IAPAC’s YouTube channel, where you can find all the videos from this conference series.

The COVID-19 in The Americas conference is sponsored by IAPAC and the AHF Global Public Health Institute and the Institute of Advanced Study of The Americas, which are both located at the University of Miami.
IAPAC Launches Dashboard for Houston/Harris County
IAPAC launched a new dashboard this month to visualize 90-90-90 programmatic target and HIV care continuum data for Houston/Harris County, Texas, one of more than 300 Fast-Track Cities around the world that are working to achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 HIV targets. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner signed the Paris Declaration on Fast-Track Cities in December 2019 alongside Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo to mark World AIDS Day 2019 and witnessed by IAPAC President/CEO Dr. José M. Zuniga. The Houston/Harris County, Texas, dashboard was supported through a grant from ViiV Healthcare.
Lancet Logo
IAPAC-Lancet HIV Commission
Announces Commissioners and Advisors

IAPAC announced this week the Commissioners and Advisors who are advancing the mission of the IAPAC-Lancet HIV Commission on the Future of Urban HIV Responses, which is to propose recommendations for achieving Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 11 in the world’s cities and municipalities by 2030, as well as explore the threat to urban HIV responses posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Co-chaired by IAPAC President/CEO Dr. José M. Zuniga and UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, the Commission is comprised of representatives from constituencies that form the foundation of urban HIV responses in Fast-Track Cities: elected officials, public health officials, clinical and service providers, and community representatives.

Commissioners will be advised by content experts and key opinion leaders in government administration, health systems, health service delivery, health financing, epidemiology, modeling, human rights, social determinants of health, implementation science, behavioral and social sciences, and community engagement.

The Commission’s work is supported by three sponsoring institutions: The Lancet HIV, ViiV Healthcare, and the Fast-Track Cities Institute.
ADH21
Adherence 2021 Conference Program Announced

The Adherence 2021 conference will take place June 13-15, 2021, in Orlando, FL, USA (contingent upon COVID-19, with contingency plans in place for a transition to a virtual format, if required by public health restrictions).

Earlier this week, IAPAC announced the Adherence 2021 conference program, which will consist of a 1/2 day of pre-conference sessions followed by 2.5 days of conference featuring a keynote address, memorial lecture, memorial colloquium, plenary sessions, panel discussions, and oral abstract presentations.

Thematic Panels will cover the following topics:

  • Punitive Laws, Stigma, and Gender Inequality as Barriers to Progress against HIV
  • HIV Prevention and Treatment, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and PMTCT
  • Linking People Living with to Patient-Centered, Context-Specific Services

Plenaries will cover the following topics:

  • Critical Steps to Regain Momentum in HIV Prevention and Treatment
  • A Review of LAAs for HIV Treatment from an Adherence Perspective
  • Creating Demand for Long-Acting and Extended Release HIV Treatment
  • Managing the Clinical Challenges of Long-Lasting Drug Concentrations
  • Using Implementation Science to Integrate LAAs into Routine HIV Care
  • Leveraging HIV Implementation Science to Examine ‘What Moves the Needle’
  • Economic Evaluation and Implementation Science to Optimize HIV Responses
  • Reflections on Delivering HIV Care and Support in the Midst of COVID-19 
  • A Review of LAAs for HIV Prevention from an Adherence Perspective
  • PrEP Uptake, Engagement, and Adherence after Population HIV Testing
  • Employing Telehealth to Improve PrEP Availability, Uptake, and Adherence
  • Confronting the Challenge of HIV Treatment and Polypharmacy
  • Interventions to Improve Service Uptake/Retention across the HIV Continuum
  • Enhancing Collaboration between Pharmacists and HIV Clinical Providers
  • Increasing Domestic Oversight and Advocacy to Improve HIV Treatment
  • Community Interests in the Global, National, and Municipal HIV Responses
  • Improving the Quality of Life of People Living with HIV in All Their Diversity

Oral abstract submissions are also welcome across the following tracks:

  • HIV Treatment Adherence
  • HIV Prevention
  • HIV Care Continuum
  • Implementation Science
  • Community Engagement

The original abstract submission deadline has been extended to April 2, 2021. For more information, visit the Abstract Submission page of the Adherence 2021 conference site.
The Fast-Track Cities 2021 conference - the third gathering of more than 300 Fast-Track Cities - will take place October 20-22, 2021, in Lisbon, Portugal, organized by IAPAC, in collaboration with UNAIDS and the Fast-Track Cities Institute.

The conference’s aim is to highlight successes achieved across the Fast-Track Cities network, address cross-cutting challenges faced by local stakeholders, and share best practices in accelerating urban HIV, TB, HBV, and HCV responses. In addition, the conference organizers have included COVID-19 among the conference program foci.

The conference is supported through sponsorships and grants from Gilead Sciences, Janssen Therapeutics, Merck & Co., and ViiV Healthcare.
JIAPAC Editor Emeritus Pick
Weight Gain in Incarcerated Individuals Living with HIV after Switching to Integrase Strand Inhibitor-Based Therapy

“Patients receiving HIV care in a correctional setting and on [integrase strand inhibitor]-based treatments experienced weight gain and increases in BMI. Future research should focus on the mechanism of development and interventions to prevent weight gain.”
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