Organization: University of South Florida
Region: USA and Canada
Nationality: United States
Country: United States
Interests & expertise: Ageing with HIV
Profession or occupation: Educator/trainer
What inspires you to work in the HIV field?
Like many people working in the HIV field, my inspiration comes from personal experience – in my case, from the mid-1980s, when HIV emerged. I’ll never forget my first HIV test at age 18 and the excruciating fear of waiting for the test result. Later, my first job out of college was at a local HIV prevention non-profit organization. It was the first place I felt both welcome and safe for who I was as a gay man, but also scared as we lost friends and colleagues. Those early experiences, including the pain and fear of losing friends, became an inspiration to respond with social action and science.
What are your goals as an IAS change maker?
My primary goal as an IAS change maker is to amplify what it means to be healthy, moving beyond the HIV “positive or negative” paradigm and promoting a whole-health perspective that includes mental health well-being and access to quality mental health services.
Access to mental healthcare is severely limited, especially in resource-constricted settings, while the need for services is higher than ever. But young people, especially those living with HIV, are disproportionally affected by common mental health issues, especially depression and anxiety. By working with young people living with HIV, I am learning how to address mental health morbidity in a way that centres on their needs, desires and preferences and moves towards a more holistic view of health.