The burden of HIV hits disproportionately hard for African, Caribbean and black communities and needs to be understood and addressed. The A/C study is a community-based research powerhouse and takes a giant leap forward in understanding HIV prevalence and underlying factors that increase HIV risk and vulnerability in ACB communities in both Ottawa and Toronto. The pozcast discussion dives deep into the study’s impact on community, policy and programming to help prevent HIV transmission and promote health.
Show Notes
The A/C study is a comprehensive mixed methods project developed by a team of mostly black researchers and service providers. As part of the team’s core values they made certain that people from ACB communities played leading roles in all aspects of the project. It was clear to the team that there was a lack of reliable data about race and ethnicity to fully understand the prevalence of HIV in African Caribbean communities in Ontario. The A/C study now has the foundational evidence to fill this gap and speak to the root causes of HIV vulnerability. Host James Watson sits down with two key members of the research team Fanta Ongoiba and Pascal Djiadeu to discuss the issues and impacts.
- Fanta Ongoiba is the Executive Director of Africans in Partnership Against AIDS (APAA), and a leader in the African community. She has worked in a number of capacities related to human rights and humanitarian causes, including treatment information exchange counselor at CATIE (Canada’s source for information about HIV and hepatitis C) and as a community health promotion worker at the francophone center of Toronto.
- Pascal is a part-time assistant professor at McMaster University, in the department of health research methods evidence and impact, and a lecturer at Humber College/University of Guelph Humber. Pascal is also a research analyst and methodologist consultant at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He teaches Applied Epidemiology in the BHSc program in the faculty of health sciences and wellness at Humber College. His research focuses on HIV implementation sciences and, health inequities and disparities.
Full episode details
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transcript.
What is pozcast?
Based in Toronto but global in outlook, pozcast challenges the status quo and celebrates people living and thriving with HIV. Host James Watson and his guests explore what it means to be poz and share stories of resilience, courage and resolve. Pozcast gets upfront and personal on issues that matter to the HIV community through candid conversations about health, work, love and life.