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Muhammad Amir Haziq Bin Zakria

Muhammad Amir Haziq Bin Zakria

Organization: Center of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), University of Malaya


Region: Asia and the Pacific Islands

Nationality: Malaysia

Country: Malaysia

Interests & expertise: Stigma

Profession or occupation: Student


What inspires you to work in the HIV field?

Being a medical student gave me an advantage in deeply understanding HIV. But I often ask myself, am I doing enough as a future doctor if I understand theories only in the textbook? As I ventured into community work and performed clinical duties for HIV, I began to realize that most newly diagnosed people in my country are around my age. It fuelled my desire to make a difference, especially with the increasing HIV burden among young people.

What are your goals as an IAS change maker?

The musical that we are developing acts as a form of protest against the structural stigma in my country that prevents young key populations from expressing themselves. Therefore, my goal is to increase contact between people with lived experiences and young people by platforming talented young artists with lived experiences in the production team. Through this art-based approach, I also aim to reduce stigma and increase the knowledge of young people about HIV and AIDS.

 

The IAS promotes the use of non-stigmatizing, people-first language. The translations are all automated in the interest of making our content as widely accessible as possible. Regretfully, they may not always adhere to the people-first language of the original version.