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AIDS continues to be a leading cause of death among young people worldwide. It is also treatable. These trailblazers have been working tirelessly to find ways to prevent, treat, and perhaps one day bring an end to the global epidemic.
Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, director of ICAP at Columbia University ‣ As founding director of ICAP at Columbia University, Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr leads a global team of over 1,000 fighting HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and other epidemics, strategizing with doctors and government agencies in over 30 countries to improve prevention and treatment rates. She was also at the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic from day one, crafting comprehensive care programs at Harlem Hospital in the 1980s. “The most important lesson I learned from my work in Harlem was not to take no for an answer,” she says of naysayers who insisted people in the community wouldn’t participate in her programs. (Those doubters were proven wrong.) She encountered similar resistance in Africa.
“People said poor people won’t come, they won’t take their meds and they’ll sell them,” she says. Yet Dr. El-Sadr persisted, successfully collaborating with government agencies, NGOs, and community organizations to bring aid to everyone in need, including migrants and prisoners. While Dr. El-Sadr does not predict wholesale eradication of the HIV virus, she is optimistic. “If there’s a continued investment in resources then we can bring down the numbers of infection to a level that’s quite manageable, and over generations it will not be as much of a public health threat,” she says. “It has to continue to be a global commitment not to not take our foot off the pedal.”
AIDSinfo ‣ “AIDSinfo has been very useful, particularly in conveniently accessing the most up-to-date guidelines on the treatment of HIV. Having this at one’s fingertips is so critical on a day to day basis. It’s essential to my work.”
Flightaware ‣ “I’m traveling 60% of the time, and I have a habit of checking to see if my flights are on time. I’m always trying to anticipate a delay. I happened to be in Johannesburg and realized through Flightaware the flight back to the US was delayed. This enabled me to schedule a meeting with our ICAP team in Pretoria for the following day. The app tells you exactly where your plane is at any given time; I find that reassuring.”
Kindle ‣ “I like to read when I’m traveling. I gravitate toward topics completely not to do with medicine. There are so many lessons to be learned from history, society, and politics. Recently I read She Said and Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait.”
Dr. Julie Pulerwitz, Director of the HIV and AIDS program at the Population Council
‣ If people know that having protected sex significantly lowers the chances of HIV transmission, why do they continue to engage in risky behavior?
That question has been driving Julie Pulerwitz since the mid-’80s, when she led HIV-prevention workshops at the University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate. Now as the director of the Population Council’s HIV and AIDS program, Dr. Pulerwitz is leveraging behavioral science to ensure treatment programs are actionable worldwide.
It’s important to bring a cross-cultural prospective so you can see what worked where with different clinics and policies. This all comes together to inform how we move forward.
[b]Dr. Julie Pulerwitz[/b]
“There are good reasons why people do what they do, and you have to understand what they’re feeling and thinking,” says Dr. Pulerwitz, who lives in Washington D.C. and travels frequently to Sub-Saharan Africa to collaborate with NGOs and clinics. “Sharing information is not sufficient if you want to get people to change their habits.” Many forces come into play: gender dynamics, social stigma (young women in regions that disapprove of their sexual activity are at higher risk), and the law, says Dr. Pulerwitz. “In many countries homosexual sex is illegal, which adds a layer of shame that puts people in greater danger.” Dr. Pulerwitz now works with government representatives, community leaders, and clinicians to promote healthy behaviors, like having protected sex, getting tested, and taking medication. “It’s important to bring a cross-cultural prospective so you can see what worked where with different clinics and policies. This all comes together to inform how we move forward.”
Trip Advisor ‣ “I rely quite a bit on this app for restaurant advice when I am traveling for work. I was just in South Africa, and I turned to it when I wanted to get out of the hotel. I found a new Japanese-African fusion restaurant in Cape Town that highlights local cuisine combined with Asian ingredients.
Skype ‣ “I use Skype all the time. When you’re sitting at your desk in Washington D.C. and you want to talk to your counterpart in Kenya about this week’s data collection, it’s a really helpful way to check in.”
WhatsApp ‣ “When I’m on the ground, I use Whatsapp. It’s used widely in Africa. I’ll use it to ask a colleague to bring a hundred more surveys to the site, or to find out where to meet for lunch. And if I want to check in with my 11-year-old daughter, it’s great for that too.”