Organization: CISM & ISGlobal
Region: Africa
Nationality: Spain
Country: Mozambique
Interests & expertise: HIV cure
Profession or occupation: Healthcare worker/social service provider
What inspires you to work in the HIV field?
My main motivation as a paediatrician and HIV researcher has always been to address the inequality in paediatric HIV incidence, prevalence and care. Children are particularly vulnerable to HIV because of the rapid progression of the disease without treatment. However, progress in the HIV response has been slower in the paediatric population than among adults, with children having less access to life-saving treatment. Having witnessed first-hand how administration of treatment remains an enormous challenge for young children and how this affects their health-related quality of life, I am more motivated than ever to deepen my focus on paediatric HIV in low- and middle-income countries.
What are your goals as an IAS change maker?
In the short and medium term, my goals are to fight inequality and contribute to generating scientific evidence on strategies to improve long-term clinical outcomes and quality of life in children living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries, in particular in southern Mozambique, where I’m based. My long-term goals are working toward ending vertical transmission and looking for remission in children who are already living with HIV.