International Conference on Stigma 2018

Howard University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract Background: HIV continues to spread at alarming rates and a great number of people living with HIV and AIDS are not engaged in care, with significant racial disparities in outcomes. Despite advances in treatment and other interventions, rates of new HIV infections in the US remain high. We believe that shame and stigma of HIV contribute significantly to these poor outcomes. There is a need to develop and evaluate interventions that are tailored to reduce stigma particularly in communities of color. Also, it is critical to link affected individuals with researchers involved in stigma research, in order to work toward a reduction in HIV and other health-related stigma, and improve health outcomes. The main goal of this proposal is to strengthen research capacity in the field of HIV stigma, by providing a direct linkage between researchers and affected individuals, and to foster greater participation of those affected in key research roles, including study design and implementation. Participation of junior and minority researchers will be highly encouraged. Methods: The proposed International Conference on Stigma will be the ninth held since 2010 and will take place on November 16, 2018 at Howard University. The goal of the conference is to bring together researchers, community leaders, policy makers, academia, students, and affected individuals with emphasis on inclusion of racial and gender minorities. The conference has had a strong online presence through social media and its webpage---www.whocanyoutell.org. The 2018 conference will be structured somewhat differently from past events, consisting of 2 main plenary sessions, separated by an extended networking and scientific/ community poster session, and an arts display. Workshops have been eliminated to allow for expanded collaboration and discussion in the plenary sessions. The first plenary will consist of a panel of researchers who will receive comments and critiques from a panel of affected individuals and audience members, and the second plenary will be the opposite, with the main panel of affected individuals, and input and commentary from researchers. We expect an attendance of 350-400 at this conference. The conference will be broadcast live via webcast and archived on our website. Specific AIMS for the conference are: 1.) Describe the impact of stigma on health outcomes and present research in the field of HIV-related and other health-related stigma, including research tools to monitor stigma and evaluate interventions. 2.) Provide a forum for networking between affected individuals and researchers to inspire cutting edge behavioral research in the field of stigma, with an emphasis on inclusion of affected individuals, and junior and minority researchers in all levels of HIV-related and other health-related stigma research 3.) Continue and expand the research workgroup formed at the 2017 conference. Evaluation: Evaluations will be conducted after each plenary session and an overall conference evaluation survey will be collected. Additionally, conference attendees will be surveyed 6 months post-conference to further evaluate the extent to which the conference met its goals.