Empowering youth: A Citizen Science digital intervention to reduce HIV stigma and promote self-testing in Kazakhstan

Gaukhar Mergenova, MD, PhD, has over a decade of experience in HIV and Public Health. She leads the Epidemiology Department at Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University and serves as a Research Scientist at Columbia University's Global Health Research Center of Central Asia (GHRCCA) in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Her research centers on understanding the structural drivers of HIV epidemics and developing interventions to expand access to HIV prevention programs for vulnerable and marginalized populations, including sex workers, sexual minorities, people who use drugs, and young people.