The Person-Centred Care Advocacy Academy: HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 26 to 28 March 2026.
This academy is organized by IAS – the International AIDS Society – in collaboration with local partners and in partnership with Gilead Sciences.
Applications are now closed.
We will award approximately 15 full fellowships to suitable candidates based in Latin America and the Caribbean countries to engage in a series of interactive sessions to explore the evidence for, and implementation of, person-centred care for people living with and affected by HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean. Selected fellows will be fully supported to attend the academy (transport, accommodation and catering). Please note that for licensed healthcare professionals and/or government officials specifically, this support (transport, accommodation and catering) will be subject to local compliance guidelines. Limitations in the provision of these services might apply.
The objectives are to:
- Provide training and skills building on current person-centred care approaches to service delivery and existing barriers to their implementation.
- Develop tools to disseminate information on person-centred approaches and their importance to the wider community, including policy makers, the media and programme managers.
- Create opportunities to interact with leading researchers and advocates in the field.
- Guide participants to identify service delivery gaps in their communities and develop action plans to overcome these challenges.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Demonstrate involvement as an advocate, researcher or healthcare provider (including peer educators) in the HIV field for at least the past two years.
- Be affiliated with or employed by HIV organizations, associations, service providers, groups or communities operating in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Demonstrate interest in person-centred care approaches and involvement in existing initiatives.
- Have professional working proficiency in the English language.
Interpretation services will be available for some sessions and bilingual facilitators will be available to support interactive discussions among the participants in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.
Participants will be selected based on their potential to disseminate the knowledge they gain at the academy with other advocates, researchers, physicians, nurses, community healthcare providers and policy makers, among others, in their settings. We especially encourage applications from people who identify as members of a key or affected population who face intersectional stigma and vulnerability to HIV acquisition and/or are engaged with community-based organizations working to support these communities. Specifically, we are referring to communities of people living with HIV, gay men and other men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who use drugs, trans people, gender-diverse people, Indigenous peoples and migrants.
Eligible candidates will have to complete the online application form in English and answer questions about their organization or institution, experience in the HIV field, motivation to attend the academy, and how their participation would benefit their community. We recognize that English will not be the first language of many applicants, and we allow the use of online spell checkers or translators. However, your application must be original and represent your own work. Your application will be considered invalid if it is copied, plagiarized or entirely generated by an AI tool.
Applicants will be notified of their status via email within two months of the closure of the application window. Selected participants are expected to participate in the entire in-person academy programme and to prioritize attendance at all virtual sessions to be scheduled both before and after the academy programme.
Check out the past academy reports and event videos to find out more about what to expect at this event.
Applications are now closed.
Please contact pcc@iasociety.org if you have any questions.
The Person-Centred Care programme of IAS – the International AIDS Society – is implemented with financial support from, and in collaboration with, Gilead Sciences. The IAS has full control over all the activities and decisions relating to, and forming part of, the Person-Centred Care programme.