Opportunities and challenges for HIV cure research and implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean and what can be learned from other settings

Dong is an Infectious Disease physician and Asst Prof at the Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT & Harvard, with expertise in design and implementation of robust patient-centered HIV cure and prevention research.

Dong is an Infectious Disease physician and Asst Prof at the Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT & Harvard, with expertise in design and implementation of robust patient-centered HIV cure and prevention research.

Dr Albert Machinda is a global health leader, medical doctor, organisational leader and programme strategist with extensive experience in HIV, health systems strengthening, organisational leadership and multi-country programme delivery across sub-Saharan Africa. He holds an MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, an MBA from the University of London, and a Diploma in Strategic Leadership and Management from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Chartered Manager and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

Albert serves as Co-Principal Investigator and Head of Secretariat of the Africa HIV Cure Consortium, hosted at CIDRZ, where he leads the coordination of African-led efforts to strengthen HIV cure research capacity, policy engagement, community literacy, partner collaboration and regional readiness for future HIV cure interventions.

He has held senior leadership roles across several African countries, working closely with governments, donors, civil society, academic institutions and implementation partners to design, scale and strengthen public health programmes. His experience spans HIV prevention and treatment, PrEP, VMMC, sexual and reproductive health, donor-funded programme management, strategic partnerships, organisational transformation and implementation science.

Albert is passionate about advancing equitable African leadership in global health and ensuring that future scientific breakthroughs are shaped by, and accessible to, the communities most affected by diseases.

Luciana Kamel is a community researcher in the field of HIV/AIDS with expertise in community engagement, research, advocacy, and equitable access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment. She holds a master's degree in Psychosociology of Community and Social Ecology and is currently pursuing a PhD in Collective Health at IMS/UERJ, Brazil. She is also a specialist in Scientific Dissemination and Popularization of Science from Casa Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz.

Gastón Devisich has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology (University of Buenos Aires) and is the Community Engagement Representative at Fundación Huésped’s Research Department. He has represented Latin America and the Caribbean at the NGO Delegation for UNAIDS’ Programme Coordinating Board (2022-2024).

Sandra Wagner Cardoso is a public health researcher and research physician coordinating the Clinical Studies Unit of the HIV/STI Clinical Research Laboratory at INI-Fiocruz. At INI/Fiocruz, she is actively involved in the design, implementation and coordination of research studies aimed at improving healthcare outcomes. She collaborates with national and international research networks and participates regularly in major scientific conferences. She is an active member of the Advancing Clinical Therapeutics Globally for HIV/AIDS and Other Infections Group (ACTG), where she previously served on the Antiretroviral Therapy Strategies Subcommittee, the Viral Hepatitis Subcommittee and the HIV Cure Subcommittee. She is an investigator at-large on ACTG’s Scientific Agenda Steering Committee. Sandra is affiliated with the HIV Prevention Trials Network, HIV Vaccine Trials Network and Caribbean, Central and South America Network for HIV Research. She is a Professor in research-focused and professionally oriented graduate programmes and a medical residency preceptor at INI-Fiocruz.