Rapporteur report back session

With more than 20 years of public health and international development experience, Birgit Poniatowski has been the IAS Executive Director since November 2020, following more than five years at the organization leading an expanding team responsible for resource mobilization, sustainable partnerships across diverse sectors and key strategic initiatives.

Prior to joining the IAS, she was the Director for Investment and Partnerships at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, and earlier managed partnerships and supported the organization’s multi-stakeholder governance processes at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. She was educated at Bonn and Heidelberg Universities in Germany and International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. She holds a PhD from Heidelberg University, Germany.

With more than 20 years of public health and international development experience, Birgit Poniatowski has been the IAS Executive Director since November 2020, following more than five years at the organization leading an expanding team responsible for resource mobilization, sustainable partnerships across diverse sectors and key strategic initiatives.

Prior to joining the IAS, she was the Director for Investment and Partnerships at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, and earlier managed partnerships and supported the organization’s multi-stakeholder governance processes at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. She was educated at Bonn and Heidelberg Universities in Germany and International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. She holds a PhD from Heidelberg University, Germany.

Zaza Ndhlovu’s academic positions include Associate Professor at Africa Health Research Institute and Assistant Professor of Medicine Harvard University at Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, as well as Associate Professor (Honorary) in the Division of Infection and Immunity at University College London. Zaza’s research goal is to spatially resolve molecular processes within tissue microenvironments that hinder the complete eradication of HIV. Additionally, his laboratory generates high-resolution human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing in Africa. This initiative will culminate in building a comprehensive HLA database for African populations, essential for vaccine development and the study of HLA associations with diseases.

Sasisopin Kiertiburanakul is a Professor of Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. She is the Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs and Culture, the Vice President of the Infectious Disease Association of Thailand, and the Secretary of the Thai AIDS Society. Sasisopin’s research focuses on general infectious diseases, tropical infectious diseases and HIV. She has authored, co-authored and collaborated on more than 240 articles published in peer-reviewed medical journals. She is also a committee member and consultant for various national organizations, for example, the Ministry of Public Health and the National HIV Guidelines Committee.

Benjamin Bavinton has worked in the field of HIV prevention and research in Australia and internationally for 20 years. He is a Senior Research Fellow and Group Leader at the Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, focusing on the biomedical, behavioural and epidemiological aspects of HIV prevention among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and trans women in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

Maria Amelia Veras, MD, MPH, PhD, is Professor at the Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences, in São Paulo, Brazil. She is the leader of NUDHES (Health, Sexuality and Human Rights of LGBT+ community), a multidisciplinary research group working at the intersection of health, social sciences and human rights. Maria is the co-founder and a Board member of RIGHT-PLUS (Ibero-American Network for Studies on Gay Men, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender People). She is also a Councilor of the International Epidemiological Association for Latin America/Caribbean (2023-2024). Her research interests include social inequalities and health of the LBGTI+ population in the Brazilian context.

Sean Rourke is a scientist with MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He is internationally recognized for his work in HIV-associated neurocognitive impairments and health and well-being. Sean has spent his career working within and across sectors and spaces to have real-life impact for people living with and affected by HIV. He is getting new point-of-care and self-testing options to Canada for HIV and STIs to reach the undiagnosed and underserved, and then implementing and scaling up pragmatic solutions using technology and structural interventions to connect people to the care they need in their communities.

Oratile Moseki (she/her) is an African feminist and human rights activist whose committed her entire twenty-year career to advancing the health and rights of marginalized and criminalised communities across Africa, eastern Europe and central Asia and the middle East. She has extensive experience in movement building, community-led human rights monitoring, public policy reform advocacy, and participatory research, training and training curriculum development. She holds a Certificate in Public Policy Analysis (London School of Economics & Political Science), a Bachelor of Law (LLB) (University of South Africa) and a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons.) (York University, Canada). She is currently based in the UK where she works for Frontline AIDS as their Human Rights Advocacy Lead.

Krishen Samuel, PhD, MPH, is a queer public health researcher, writer and HIV activist. His education and experience span three continents. Originally from South Africa, he recently completed a PhD in health behaviour at the University of Arkansas on a Fulbright Scholarship. He received a Master’s degree in global public health and policy from Queen Mary, University of London, in 2017. Krishen has engaged in activism for the inclusion of people living with HIV and stigma reduction efforts globally. He has spoken at the British Parliament and Harvard University and been featured on the BBC in this role. Krishen’s writing has appeared in The HuffPost UK, Medium, aidsmap and TheBody.

With more than 20 years of public health and international development experience, Birgit Poniatowski has been the IAS Executive Director since November 2020, following more than five years at the organization leading an expanding team responsible for resource mobilization, sustainable partnerships across diverse sectors and key strategic initiatives.

Prior to joining the IAS, she was the Director for Investment and Partnerships at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, and earlier managed partnerships and supported the organization’s multi-stakeholder governance processes at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. She was educated at Bonn and Heidelberg Universities in Germany and International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. She holds a PhD from Heidelberg University, Germany.