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 Rebecca Akunzirwe

Rebecca Akunzirwe

Organization: Uganda National Institute of Public Health


Region: Africa

Nationality: Uganda

Country: Uganda

Interests & expertise: Differentiated service delivery

Profession or occupation: Researcher


What inspires you to work in the HIV field?

I am interested in HIV care and treatment for children and adolescents living with HIV. I live and work in Uganda, a country with a high HIV burden. Having witnessed firsthand the profound impacts of this disease on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents, I recognize the urgent need for specialized attention to this vulnerable demographic. Children and adolescents face unique challenges, including higher vulnerability to acquiring HIV, stigma and structural barriers, such as those in closed settings, and reliance on adults for access to care. All of this makes it difficult to meet the 95-95-95 targets.

My interest lies in providing person-centred care for children and adolescents living with HIV, which addresses these challenges and improves adherence to ART and outcomes. Furthermore, I am enthusiastic about exploring the delivery of long-acting ART (LA ART) to children and adolescents living with HIV. LA ART holds the potential to revolutionize treatment regimens, offering greater convenience and adherence for children and adolescents.

What are your goals as an IAS change maker?

Children and adolescents living with HIV struggle with adherence to ART and achieving viral load suppression. My goal is to be part of research and influence policy to ensure that children access HIV treatment in a manner that is tailored to their individual needs, addressing challenges such as stigma, structural barriers and reliance on adults for access to care.

LA ART is effective and has higher adherence than oral ART; its use for HIV treatment has been approved in high- and middle-income countries. I am enthusiastic about exploring the delivery of LA ART to children and adolescents living with HIV for treatment through research, especially in the global South, as it has the potential to revolutionize treatment regimens, increase convenience and improve adherence for children and adolescents. My research would focus on the potential cost vis-à-vis the benefits of LA ART and how LA ART delivery would be implemented for children and adolescents living with HIV in a person-centred manner.

 

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.