Yusuf Hassan Wada

What inspires you to work in the HIV field?

I got inspired to work in the HIV field when I learnt that advocacy for cure is an indispensable part of the HIV cure agenda and young people can play a great role in advocating for improvement in health outcomes among people living with HIV and vulnerable populations.

I see a future where young people take charge in solving challenges that have been bottlenecks in achieving a world free of AIDS. This is a future where young people are involved in all part of the response in communities, governments, policy, regulations, funding, research and advocacy to strengthen the chain. This will promote meaningful engagement to understand the problem and proposed solutions being pursued, accessing concerns and generating implementation insights. It is also a way to apply the skills and opportunities I had, following others who’ve just been great examples and models.

What are your goals as an IAS change maker?

My goal as an IAS change maker is to contribute my best and serve as a role model in moving towards an AIDS-free world, especially from a youth perspective. I’m also fortunate to be involved in many high-level activities, and I have a responsibility to set a good impression about the IAS fellowships and capacity building I have gone through. Today, I serve on the Community Advisory Board of the Pediatric Adolescent Virus Elimination (PAVE) and as a representative of the Global PAVE on the National Institutes of Health’s Martin Delaney Collaboratory for HIV cure research.

I foresee a future where I act as a leader in the HIV advocacy and cure research, which will push low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria to streamline HIV cure as part of their strategy and plan and as part of their key health agenda.