Date of Presentation: April 26, 2024
Presenters: Josephine Wong and Saaka Sulemnana
Venue: CAHR 2024: 33rd Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research; London, ON
Audience: HIV/AIDS researchers and community leaders in Canada

On April 26, 2024, Dr. Josephine Wong NPA and Saaka Sulemana, Academic Intern of Project ACE presented at the CAHR 2024 conference, which was the 33rd Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research, held in London, Ontario. This conference was attended by scholars and community leaders from across the country to share the latest advancements in HIV prevention, treatment, and care. Our presentation, titled, Generating Knowledge to Mobilize HIV Championship in Racialized Immigrant Communities, shared insights on the impact of stigma on HIV vulnerability and how our intervention aims to promote collective empowerment and reduce HIV and related stigma amongst racialized immigrant communities.

The presentation covered several key areas including multi-layered contexts of stigma, such as how racism perpetuates stigma and the impact of HIV stigma on mental health, along with challenging the discourse of “culture-based stigma,” and sharing on community engagement as a resilience strategy. Dr. Wong and Saaka emphasized the intersectional nature of stigma and the need to address stigma at individual and structural levels, which resonated strongly with the audience. The session included a poster presentation and an oral presentation.

Participants gained valuable insights into how HIV championship may be mobilized within racialized immigrant communities on all levels. One of the key takeaways was the meaningful engagement of those who are meant to uptake the intervention in important steps of implementation. The positive feedback from attendees underscores the impact of the presentation on their understanding of mobilizing HIV championship for collective empowerment.

We have made the following resources available:

CAHR-2024-Poster-Project-ACE-Generating-Knowledge-

These materials provide a comprehensive overview of the content shared during the event and are valuable for those looking to deepen their knowledge on promoting collective resilience in the face of HIV and related stigma.

The CAHR 2024 conference was a successful knowledge transfer event that facilitated significant learning and discussion among attendees. We look forward to future opportunities to share our work and engage with the community on the mobilization of community advocates within racialized immigrant communities.