In this episode of ZERO HOUR—filmed in front of a live studio audience at the 2023 U.S. Conference for HIV and AIDS—four Black women take over the discussion table to take back their own narratives and to define their own roles in ending the HIV epidemic.

Because to truly understand the impact that discrimination, inequity, and stigma have on Black women, we need to hear from Black women themselves.

Our takeover hosts are:

Staci Bush, Senior Director of US Medical Affairs for Gilead’s HIV Franchise. Bush is a patient-first activist within the pharmaceutical space who focuses on building partnerships across the globe to transform minds and center prevention as a main tactic to ending the HIV epidemic.

Deborah Wafer, Senior Director of Public Affairs and U.S. Virology Community Engagement and Advocacy at Gilead. A women’s health and public health advocate with more than three decades of experience, Wafer works to address HIV and expand health equity by forging partnerships with community advocates and organizations.

Our guests are:

Marlene McNeese, an HIV prevention advocate who has worked to optimize public health and community-based HIV support systems for nearly 30 years. She discusses the ways that Black women must navigate medical systems that were never meant to support them—thereby creating lasting and urgent disparities in HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Erica Criddenton, a student at the University of Washington Medical School  who studies the internal and external impacts of HIV stigma around the globe. She shares her professional insights with ZERO HOUR—and delivers a moment of personal vulnerability that moves and inspires hosts and live audience members alike.

This podcast was created and fully funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILEAD, the GILEAD logo, and the & design are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. IHQ-UNB-6218 Date of Preparation July 2024.

References:

Ayangeakaa, S.D., Kerr, J., Combs, R.M. et al. Sociocultural and structural influences on HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Engagement and Uptake among African American Young adults. BMC Public Health 23, 1427 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16273-8

DHHS. Panel on antiretroviral guidelines for adults and adolescents. Recommendations for the use of antiretroviral agents in adults and adolescents with HIV. Updated March 23, 2023. Available at: https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/sites/default/files/guidelines/documents/adult-adolescent-arv/guidelines-adult-adolescent-arv.pdf. Accessed July 20, 2023.

Hill, Mandy J. DrPH, MPH. (2023, June 11). Qualitative Analysis of a Warm Handoff Linkage Approach for Cisgender Black Women to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP): A Systems Focus. UTHealth Houston. https://www.iapac.org/files/2022/12/Mandy-Hill-1129.pdf

PACHA. PACHA provides advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary regarding programs, policies, and research that address HIV/AIDS. Started June 14, 1995. https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/pacha/about-pacha

Funakoshi, Minami, Raychaudhuri, Disha. (2023, August 19). The rise of anti-trans bills in the US. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-HEALTHCARE/TRANS-BILLS/zgvorreyapd/

Health inequities don’t just happen. They’re made by the broken parts of broken systems. And when those systems are left unfixed, the divide between the people with the most need and the people with the most resources grows even wider. In this episode, we’re joined by two guests who are championing system reform and person-centered care to overcome inequalities in the global response to HIV. 

Our guests are:

Professor Kevin Fenton, the London Regional Director at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and President of the United Kingdom Faculty of Public Health.

Dr. Oni Blackstock, an HIV researcher, physician, and founder of Health Justice, an organization helping health organizations achieve workplace equity and overcome health disparities.

This podcast was created and fully funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILEAD, the GILEAD logo, and the & design are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. IHQ-UNB-4668 Date of Preparation September 2023.

References:

CDC. HIV in the Southern United States. September 2019. Accessed September 19, 2023. Available at: cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/policies/cdc-hiv-in-the-south-issue-brief.pdf

Fuller H, Dubbala K, Obiri D, et al. Addressing vaccine hesitancy to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccination uptake across the UK and US. Front Public Health. 2021;9:789753. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.789753

GOV.UK. England on Track to End New HIV Transmissions by 2030. Accessed September 22 2023. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/england-on-track-to-end-new-hiv-transmissions-by-2030

HPTN096. Getting to Zero Among Black MSM in the American South: Testing the Efficacy of an Integrated Intervention Strategy. Accessed September 19, 2023. Available at: Getting to Zero Among Black MSM in the American South: Testing the Efficacy of an Integrated Intervention Strategy

Kaiser Family Foundation. Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions. Accessed September 19, 2023. Available at: https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/status-of-state-medicaid-expansion-decisions-interactive-map/

Malebranche DJ, Peterson JL, Fullilove RE, Stockhouse RW. Race and sexual identity: perceptions about medical culture and healthcare among black men who have sex with men. J Natl Med Assoc. 2004;96:97-107

National AIDS Trust. HIV in the UK Statistics. Accessed September 19, 2023. Available at: https://www.nat.org.uk/about-hiv/hiv-statistics

The path that ends AIDS: UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2023. Geneva: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; 2023. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO

UK Office for National Statistics. Updating ethnic contrasts in deaths involving the coronavirus (COVID-19), England: 8 December 2020 to 1 December 2021. Accessed September 19, 2023. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/updatingethniccontrastsindeathsinvolvingthecoronaviruscovid19englandandwales/8december2020to1december2021

UK Office for National Statistics. Coronavirus and vaccine hesitancy, Great Britain: 9 August 2021. Accessed September 19, 2023. Available at:  https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/bulletins/coronavirusandvaccinehesitancygreatbritain/9august2021

Zang X, Krebs E, Mah C, et al. Can the 'Ending the HIV Epidemic' initiative transition the USA towards HIV/AIDS epidemic control? AIDS. 2020;34(15):2325-2328. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000002668

Sure, children are the future, but why shouldn’t they have a hand in the present? Today’s episode of Zero Hour introduces us to two HIV advocates—one an HBCU professional and the other a person born with HIV—who are centering education for youth and adolescents in their missions to end the epidemic.

Our guests are:

Leslie Hall, director of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program at the Human Rights Campaign. He shares his intersectional experiences as a Black queer man and discusses the significance of bringing HIV prevention and education to HBCUs.

Ashley Rose Murphy, a National Youth Ambassador for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research and a global HIV speaker and rights advocate. She shares her triumphant story of outliving a six-month life expectancy after being born with AIDS and channeling her experiences into a life of activism.

This podcast was created and fully funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILEAD, the GILEAD logo, and the & design are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. IHQ-UNB-4353 Date of Preparation August 2023.

References:

United Negro College Fund. The HBCU Effect®. Accessed August 3, 2023. Available at: https://uncf.org/pages/the-hbcu-effect

Leaving home is never easy—especially when discrimination, xenophobia, and cultural barriers await you in your new destination. In this episode, Zero Hour™ speaks with two leaders who are working to not only ease the transition for migrants and displaced people, but to also connect them with vital HIV services and resources.

Our guests are:

Denis Onyango, a grassroots activist who organizes HIV testing, prevention, and peer support services through his role as Programs Director for the Africa Advocacy Foundation. He reflects on how losing his brother and three sisters to AIDS spurred his focus on HIV activism, as well as the harsh realization that the care they went without was widely available in other parts of the world.

Isjed Hussain, founder of the Prisma Group Foundation, which supports bicultural and Muslim LGBTQ people in the Netherlands. They explain how Prisma helps refugees to navigate the asylum process and how they assist refugees living with HIV.

This podcast was created and fully funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILEAD, the GILEAD logo, and the & design are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. US-UNBC-1760 Date of Preparation August 2023.

Correction: Guest states that a study took place with 3000 participants in 10 countries. In actuality, the study took place in 9 countries with 2009 participants.

References:

Alvarez-Del Arco D. et al, AIDS, 2017; 31(14):1979-1988. Accessed August 23, 2023

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control/WHO Regional Office for Europe. HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe 2021 – 2020 data. Stockholm: ECDC; 2021. Accessed July  15, 2023. Available at: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/hiv-aids-surveillance-europe-2021-2020-data

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. HIV and migrants. Monitoring implementation of the Dublin Declaration on partnership to fight HIV/AIDS in Europe and Central Asia: 2018 progress report. Stockholm: ECDC; 2019. Accessed July 15, 2023. Available at: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/hiv-migrants-monitoring-implementation-dublin-declaration-2018-progress-report

Frescura L, Godfrey-Faussett P, Feizzadeh A A, El-Sadr W, Syarif O, Ghys PD; on behalf of the 2025 testing treatment target Working Group. Achieving the 95 95 95 targets for all: A pathway to ending AIDS. PLoS One. 2022 Aug 4;17(8):e0272405. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0272405.

Gbadamosi SO, Trepka MJ, Dawit R, Jebai R, Sheehan DM. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis to Estimate the Time from HIV Infection to Diagnosis for People with HIV. AIDS Rev. 2022 Mar 1;24(1):32-40. doi: 10.24875/AIDSRev.21000007. PMID: 34077404; PMCID: PMC8636511. Accessed August, 23 2023

US Department of Health and Human Services. Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV. March 2023. Accessed July 15, 2023. Available at: https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/sites/default/files/guidelines/documents/adult-adolescent-arv/guidelines-adult-adolescent-arv.pdf

When it comes to HIV, women are forced to contend with more than just stigma and barriers to care. Factors like gender inequality, intimate partner violence, and bodily autonomy make everything from prevention and treatment to status disclosure more difficult and more dangerous. In this episode, we’re exploring common obstacles women encounter in the fight against HIV, as well as the global efforts to improve women’s visibility and protection.

Our guests are:

Dr. Rageshri Dhairyawan, a sexual health and HIV doctor currently serving as Consultant in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine at Barts Health NHS Trust in London.

Roukhaya Hassambay, program coordinator at Ikambere, an organization that offers holistic supports to women living in precarious situations and with chronic illness.

This podcast was created and fully funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILEAD, the GILEAD logo, and the & design are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. IHQ-UNB-4319 Date of Preparation August 2023.

References:

Borumandnia N, Khadembashi N, Tabatabaei M, Majd HA. The prevalence rate of sexual violence worldwide: a trend analysis. BMC Public Health. 2020;20:1835. doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09926-5

UNAIDS. Fact sheet 2023. Global HIV statistics. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet

GLAAD. Glossary of Terms: Transgender. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://glaad.org/reference/trans-terms/

World Bank. Girls’ education. Updated February 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation

Cabecinha M et al. Current PrEP provision does not align with women's preferences: early results from a cross-sectional survey investigating PrEP awareness, interest, and preferences among women in England. British HIV Association conference, Gateshead, April 2023. Abstract P028. Available at: https://www.bhiva.org/file/645cfa43aca4f/P028.pdf

Desgrées-du-Loû A, Pannetier J, Ravalihasy A, et al. Sub-Saharan African migrants living with HIV acquired after migration, France, ANRS PARCOURS study, 2012 to 2013. Euro Surveill. 2015;20(46):1-8. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2015.20.46.30065

Dhairyawan R, Tariq S, Scourse R, Coyne KM. Intimate partner violence in women living with HIV attending an inner city clinic in the UK: prevalence and associated factors. HIV Med. 2013 May;14(5):303-10. doi: 10.1111/hiv.12009

Smith K, Coleman K, Eder S, Hall P. Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2009/10. Supplementary Volume 2 to Crime in England and Wales 2009/10. 2011 Home Office Statistical Bulletin. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/116512/hosb0111.pdf

Sullivan TP. The intersection of intimate partner violence and HIV: detection, disclosure, discussion, and implications for treatment adherence. Top Antivir Med. 2019 May;27(2):84-87.

US Department of Health and Human Services. Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV. March 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/sites/default/files/guidelines/documents/adult-adolescent-arv/guidelines-adult-adolescent-arv.pdf.

American Association for the Advancement of Science. People living with HIV at substantially higher risk of depression and suicide, especially in first 2 years after diagnosis. Press Release. European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID); Copenhagen, Denmark, 15-18 April, 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. Available at: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/984677

You do it. Your parents did it. Even the Puritans did it…so why are we so puritanical when it comes to talking about sex? In this episode, we’re bringing it all out of the bedroom and discussing how openly talking about sex is a necessary first step to talking about HIV. Sex positivity, health exploration, eliminating stigmas and taboos—they all start here, with the birds and the bees. 

Our guests are: 

Nathan Hale Williams, an actor, film and television producer, and entertainment producer known for writing and co-directing the film 90 Days, as well as directing the 2021 short film adaptation of All Boys Aren’t Blue. He discusses the social challenges that limit critical conversations about HIV and his tactics for authentically portraying the experiences of people living with HIV in his work. 

Dr. Cedric Pulliam, the Director of Global Public Policy at Prevention Access Campaign, where he works to advance global LGBTQ+ and human rights policies. He explains the impact U=U can have on international HIV strategy and the intrinsic relationship between sexual health and health equity. 

Goody Howard, a world-renowned sexologist who normalizes sex-positivity through sexual skill workshops and professional development programs. She articulates the roles both men and women must play in sexual health education, as well as how to incorporate pleasure into conversations about safe sex. 

This podcast was created and fully funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILEAD, the GILEAD logo, and the & design are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. IHQ-UNB-4253 Date of Preparation July 2023. 

References:  

DHHS. Panel on antiretroviral guidelines for adults and adolescents. Recommendations for the use of antiretroviral agents in adults and adolescents with HIV. Updated March 23, 2023. Available at: https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/sites/default/files/guidelines/documents/adult-adolescent-arv/guidelines-adult-adolescent-arv.pdf. Accessed July 20, 2023. 

Consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, testing, treatment, service delivery and monitoring: recommendations for a public health approach. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240031593. Accessed July 20. 2023.  

Ford OG, Rufurwadzo TG, Richman B, et al. Adopting U = U to end stigma and discrimination. J Int AIDS Soc. 2022;25(3):e25891. doi:10.1002/jia2.25891 

Wansom T, Guadamuz TE, Vasan S. Transgender populations and HIV: unique risks, challenges and opportunities. J Virus Erad. 2016 Apr 1;2(2):87-93.  

CDC. Preexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Infection in the United States – 2021 Update – A Clinical Practice Guideline. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/risk/prep/cdc-hiv-prep-guidelines-2021.pdf. Accessed July 20, 2923. 

Barré-Sinoussi F, Abdool Karim SS, Albert J, et al. Expert consensus statement on the science of HIV in the context of criminal law. J Int AIDS Soc. 2018 Jul;21(7):e25161. doi:10.1002/jia2.25161. 

Apcom.org. Getting to zero: Leveraging U=U for communty empowerment and eliminating stigma. Available at: https://www.apcom.org/getting-to-zero-leveraging-uu-for-community-empowerment-eliminating-stigma/. Accessed July 20, 2023. 

No one wants to be surveilled. It’s the reason we put tape over our webcams and diligently monitor privacy settings on our phones. Being watched makes you feel like you’re already guilty, and someone is just waiting for you to slip up. For people living with HIV, being monitored—and being treated like criminals—isn’t some speculative, dystopian fear. It’s a constant reality. And as we’ll explore in this episode, it’s a reality that could see innocent people serving lifetime sentences simply for engaging in consensual sex.

Our guests are:

Alexander McClelland, an interdisciplinary socio-legal researcher working to reform HIV criminalization policies in Canada. He recounts his experiences with having his sex life policed and scrutinized since being diagnosed with HIV at age 18. McClelland also shares harrowing details about the lengths some people living with HIV must go to in order to prove they have disclosed their status with partners.

Robert Suttle, an HIV racial justice leader who serves on the HIV Justice Network’s Global Advisory Panel. He shares his story of losing his job, getting arrested, and being forced to register as a sex offender when a former partner accused him of failing to disclose his HIV status.

This podcast was created and fully funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILEAD, the GILEAD logo, and the & design are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. IHQ-UNB-4185 Date of Preparation July 2023.

References:

Sullivan PS, Woodyatt C, Koski C, et al. A data visualization and dissemination resource to support HIV prevention and care at the local level: analysis and uses of the AIDSVu Public Data Resource. Journal of medical Internet research. 2020;22(10):e23173.

Calabrese SK, Mayer KH. Lancet: Providers Should Discuss U=U with All Patients Living with HIV. Lancet HIV. 2019;6(4):e211-e213. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3018(19)30030-X

US Department of Health and Human Services. Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV. March 2023. Accessed July 7, 2023. Available at: https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/sites/default/files/guidelines/documents/adult-adolescent-arv/guidelines-adult-adolescent-arv.pdf

Kavanagh MM, Agbla SC, Joy M, et al. Law, criminalisation and HIV in the world: have countries that criminalise achieved more or less successful pandemic response? BMJ Global Health. 2021;6:e006315. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006315

McClelland A. The Criminalization of HIV Non-Disclosure in Canada: Experiences of People Living with HIV. 2019

Ratevosian J. Legal and policy barriers for an effective HIV/AIDS response. Lancet. 2023;401(10386):1405-1407. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00729-8

Symington A, Bernard EJ, et al. Advancing HIV Justice 4: Understanding Commonalities, Seizing Opportunities. HIV Justice Network; Amsterdam. July 2022.

Fact sheet 2022. Global HIV statistics. Accessed July 7, 2023. https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/UNAIDS_FactSheet_en.pdf

There’s a common thread that ties together justice, stigma, secrets, and truth: language. The words we use can liberate and unite as easily as they can mislead and isolate. On this episode of Zero Hour™, we’re diving into the ways that language barriers can keep Latinx people from seeking and receiving HIV care. We’re also exploring how discriminatory language and false conflations (such as equating HIV with AIDS) continue to fuel fear and stigma.  

Our guests are: 

José Romero, a non-binary Latinx activist currently serving as the Director of Community Advocacy, Education & Research at the Pride Foundation. They recount the experiences that ignited their passion for language justice, detail their own difficult journey to being diagnosed with HIV, and tell us about their work providing translation services for other Spanish speakers living with HIV. 

Oliver Ranft, an Ecuadorian international development strategist and grassroots activist currently working with Charities Aid Foundation in Florida. He discusses the societal and religious pressures affecting queer people in Latin America, as well as the role machismo plays in the spread of HIV among women and minorities.   

This podcast was created and fully funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILEAD, the GILEAD logo, and the & design are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. IHQ-UNB-4007 Date of Preparation June 2023.

Could ending the HIV epidemic start with making HIV go…viral? Zero Hour™ speaks with two social influencers and television personalities who are using their platforms for more than clicks and follows. They’re using their voices to dismantle stigma in Hollywood and beyond to create a culture of accountability and honesty.  

Our guests are:  

Greg Mathis, Jr., a television personality and activist who, as the son of a famous television judge, has spent most of his life in the public eye. He shares the factors that influenced his decision to come out on his family’s reality television show and to become a vocal advocate for people living with HIV.  

Bevy Smith,  an award winning tv & radio host, actor, author of bestselling memoir, BEVELATIONS and international public speaker, who marries her passion for fashion and pop culture with HIV advocacy. She talks about how each of us can use our voice to break down stigma and have frank conversations about sex and HIV. 

This podcast was created and fully funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILEAD, the GILEAD logo, and the & design are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. IHQ-UNB-3829 Date of Preparation May 2023. 

Is this thing on? Firsthand testimony makes for some of the most powerful and impactful stories, but people living with HIV are too often left out of conversations about the epidemic. Stepping up to the mic are  2  special guests who are using their lived experiences to teach compassion, dismantle taboos, and normalize  HIV with  openness and vulnerability. 

Our guests are: 

George M. Johnson, an activist and award-winning writer whose young-adult memoir, All Boys Aren’t Blue, intimately portrays the intersection of Blackness and queerness. They tell us about living with HIV as a Black queer person, the process of bringing their story to life, and the subsequent book bannings that  have  attempted to stifle their voice. 

Karl Schmid, an Australian-born journalist and television correspondent known for covering Hollywood’s hottest red-carpet events. He recounts the experiences that inspired him to talk publicly about his HIV diagnosis and  launch Plus Life Media, a television program dedicated to ending HIV stigma. 

This podcast was created and fully funded by Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILEAD, the GILEAD logo, and the & design are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. IHQ-UNB-3820 Date of Preparation May 2023.