Health Action AIDS

Politics & Realities of Local and Global AIDS

A Town Hall Meeting

Join elected officials from the US and Uganda, HIV/AIDS experts, health professionals and community leaders for a discussion of US domestic and global AIDS policy and realities on the ground. More than 33 million people are now infected with HIV/AIDS, and 25 million have already died. HIV prevalence rates are higher among the most marginalized populations in both the US and abroad, whether they are communities of men who have sex with men (MSM), people of color, injecting drug users, or women. Structural inequalities and human rights violations leave these marginalized groups at higher risk of infection and limit their access to services. Education, advocacy, political will, and a renewed commitment to human rights must become a priority in order to address the epidemic of inequality and reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS.

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Contact Jirair Ratevosian (jratevosian [at] phrusa [dot] org) or 818-620-3171 with any questions.

About the Speakers:

Congressman Howard Berman, a former VISTA volunteer and labor relations lawyer, was elected in 1973 to the California State Assembly, where he served until 1982, when he was elected to the United States Congress as the representative for California's 28th District. Representative Berman is the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee. He has gained increasing influence on such issues as foreign aid, the Middle East peace process, nonproliferation, antiterrorism, human rights, technology policy, trade legislation, copyright legislation, and immigration reform. Mr. Berman is particularly well-known for his ability to form bipartisan coalitions.

Elioda Tumwesigye, MD, is the Chair of the Committee on HIV/AIDS and Related Matters in the Parliament of Uganda and an outspoken advocate for people living with HIV/AIDS and Uganda's response to the AIDS epidemic.  Dr. Tumwesigye is a medical doctor, epidemiologist, and Member of Parliament, who as the chair of the HIV/AIDS Committee is responsible for coordinating the country's response to the epidemic, developing HIV/AIDS policies, and monitoring and evaluating activities of national and local government and other bodies aimed at combating HIV/AIDS. Dr. Tumwesigye received his medical degree from Makerere University in Kampala, and his MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatics from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Gail Wyatt, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, sex therapist and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA. She was an NIMH Research Scientist Career Development Awardee for 17 years. Her research examines the consensual and abusive sexual relationships of women and men, the effects of these experiences on their psychological well-being, and the cultural context of risks for sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV. As Associate Director of the UCLA AIDS Institute, Dr. Wyatt coordinates a core of behavioral scientists who incorporate socio-cultural factors into HIV/AIDS research. Dr. Wyatt has received numerous awards and honors for her scientific accomplishments, mentoring, and teaching.

About the Moderators:

Tom Coates, PhD, is the Director of UCLA Program in Global Health and Director of UCLA AIDS Institute and an advisor for the Health Action AIDS Campaign. His areas of emphasis and expertise are HIV prevention, the relationship between prevention and treatment for HIV, the relationship between biological and social/behavioral prevention strategies, and HIV policies

Craig E. Thompson is Executive Director of AIDS Project Los Angeles. As the leader of one of the largest HIV/AIDS service organizations in the United States, he oversees all APLA operations, including health education and HIV prevention, government affairs, client and community services, fund development, finance and communications.

About the Organizers:

The Health Action AIDS Campaign at Physicians for Human Rights mobilizes health professionals to support a comprehensive AIDS strategy and advocates for unprecedented funds to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Harnessing the specialized skills, rigor, and passion of doctors, nurses, public health specialists, and scientists, Physicians for Human Rights investigates human rights abuses and works to stop them.

AIDS Project Los Angeles is dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV disease; reducing the incidence of HIV infection; and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy.

UCLA Global Health The UCLA Program in Global Health partners with academic institutions in developing countries to advance prevention, policy, and clinical research for HIV/AIDS and other diseases in all regions of the world. We work with our developing-country partners to integrate treatment and prevention of HIV, implement innovative prevention programs, stimulate the implementation of beneficial policies and laws, address gender inequity, and train the next generation of U.S. and developing-country scientists and advocates to continue this essential work

This event is organized by PHR, UCLA Program in Global Health, and AIDS Project Los Angeles, and co-sponsored by:

AID for AIDS

AIDS Service Center

AIDS Healthcare Foundation

AMSA Global Health Action Committee

Artists for a New South Africa

Association of Nurses in AIDS Care

Bienestar

Black AIIDS Institute

Children’s Hospital of L.A

City of L.A. AIDS Coordinator’s Office

Common Ground Westside

DemDocs

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

HIV & AIDS Legal Services Alliance

International Medical Corps

JWCH Institute, Inc

L.A. County Department of Public Health-Office of AIDS Programs and Policy

L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center

L.A. Health Action

National Physicians Alliance

Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center at USC

Physicians for Social Responsibility- L.A

Saban Free Clinic

Southside Coalition of Community Health Centers

St. John's Well Child and Family Center

The Center for Health Justice

USC Africa Dream Project

USC Global Health Review

USC Maternal Child and Adolescent Center for Infectious Diseases and Virology

USC UNICEF

UCLA AIDS Institute

UCLA African Studies Center

UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, & Treatment Svcs

UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine

UCLA FACE AIDS

UCLA Globe Med