HIV Prevention Research Advocacy Fellowship

The HIV Prevention Research Advocacy Fellowship pairs emerging leaders in advocacy and activism with existing organizations to develop and execute creative, context-specific projects focused on HIV prevention research. Fellowship projects focus primarily on advocacy around biomedical HIV prevention research (such as clinical trials of vaccines, microbicides, pre-exposure prophylaxis) or rollout of male circumcision for HIV prevention. Fellowship projects may also focus on “test and treat” or ARV treatment as prevention strategies, which are under active discussion in many contexts. Fellows receive training, financial support, and technical assistance to plan and implement a targeted one-year project within host organizations focused on HIV/AIDS.

These Selected Advocacy Fellows Are:

• Individuals living in developing countries where biomedical HIV prevention research (see above) or rollout of male circumcision for HIV prevention is ongoing or planned. The seven Advocacy Fellows come from Kenya (two), South Africa (two), Uganda (one) and Zambia (one).
• Emerging/mid-career community leaders and advocates (the program is not intended for senior staff or researchers).
• Individuals with experience or education in the areas of HIV/AIDS, public health, international development, women's rights, media and communications, or advocacy.

They will focus on a variety of issues including: monitoring the rollout of male circumcision for HIV prevention; journalist and media engagement around prevention research; research literacy with disenfranchised groups; PrEP and Microbicide trial results dissemination; building civil society engagement in the research process; and creating linkages between trial communities and policy makers among other things.

Original post by www.avac.org/fellows