This is a past event
World AIDS day
A seminar to commemorate World AIDS Daywhich takes place annually on 1st December is being held at the University of Aberdeen on 30th November at 1800 in MacRobert 051. The event is being coordinated by the Centre for Sustainable International Development and StopAIDS (student group), both of the University of Aberdeen and Drugs Action, Aberdeen and is entitled:
-30 years of HIV: Global and local responses
AIDS was first reported in 1981 in the United States and HIV was first identified in 1983. Since then 65 million cumulative HIV infections have been reported and 29 million AIDS-related deaths.
The topic of global responses will be addressed by Hilary Homans who has worked in HIV since the 1980s, first in the UK and then in over 50 countries globally. Her presentation will focus on the challenges and personal lessons learned globally from the 1980s to date, paying particular attention to HIV prevention efforts amongst young people.
The second speaker, Simon Pringle from Drugs Action in Aberdeen, will speak about the current HIV situation in Aberdeen the main modes of transmission and what programmes are in place for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
The third presentation will be a short video clip by the Stop AIDS campaign which advocates for an end to AIDS within a generation.
Following the presentations there will be time for discussion and refreshments will be served.
Speakers:
Hilary Homans has worked in HIV since the mid 1980s and organised the first Social aspects of AIDS conference in the UK in 1986. During that period she advised the Chief Medical Officer for Health (Sir Donald Acheson) about an appropriate UK response. She also with Professor Peter Aggleton conducted research on young people's perceptions of HIV in order to understand how they thought HIV was transmitted and how they themselves may be at risk. Since 1987 Hilary Homans has worked globally in 50 countries to assist governments address HIV and was the Global Adviser for HIV and AIDS for the British Government Department for International Development. Since 2001 she has been working as a Senior Adviser on HIV for the UN and written global policy advice on HIV and young people, and for HIV testing for refugees and asylum seekers. Most recently she co-authored a report On the frontline: A review of programmes that address HIV among international peacekeepers and uniformed services 2005 to 2006. This report was prepared for the UN Security Council and provided background information to a new UN Security Council Resolution on HIV that was adopted in New York on 7th June this year. Hilary Homans is currently Director of the Centre for Sustainable International Development at the University of Aberdeen.
Simon Pringle has been working in the Drugs and Alcohol field for 15 years. Initially with people with alcohol problems (for 3 years), and for the last 12 years at Drugs Action an independent specialist drugs agency in Aberdeen. His current role involves working in Needle Exchange programmes (both in fixed site and Community Outreach locations) as well as, Counselling, Help line, Family Support and Training. He has the lead role in developing the 'Break the Cycle' (Prevention Initiation into Injecting) brief interventions for the agency and was on the national working group looking at National Health Service Quality Improvement Standards for HIV.
The Student Stop AIDS Campaign is part of the University of Aberdeen Medsin Society.
- Speaker
- Hilary Homans (CSID) and Simon Pringle (Drugs Action)
- Venue
- MacRobert 051