Organization: AIDS Information Center (AIC), Uganda
Region: Africa
Nationality: Uganda
Country: Uganda
Interests & expertise: Psychological effects of having HIV
Profession or occupation: Healthcare worker/social service provider
What inspires you to work in the HIV field?
As a young boy, I watched HIV and AIDS decimate communities around me and leave countless orphans and vulnerable widows. Treatments were inaccessible and also very expensive. With the opportunity of being a medical doctor, I decided to contribute to making treatments for HIV and co-infections accessible so that AIDS-related deaths could be curbed. I also wanted to contribute to reducing new HIV acquisitions by making available technologies accessible to the communities that need them.
To me, putting the people affected by and/or living with HIV at the centre of the response is the most sustainable way to ensure that programmes adequately respond to the communities that need these services; I aim to make a contribution to that.
What are your goals as an IAS change maker?
My goals are to:
- Contribute to shaping the terrain for people-centred care through contributing to the body of evidence from implementation science and research.
- Champion engagement of recipients of care in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of differentiated service delivery models across programmes in various countries.