Science, Public Health, and Advocacy Converge at amfAR + M•A•C Event

“Many years ago, I think we all thought we’d be out of business by now,” said Nancy Mahon, Chief Sustainability Officer of the Estée Lauder Companies and former executive director of the M•A•C AIDS Fund, during her opening remarks at a World AIDS Day panel discussion at the M•A•C Cosmetics offices in New York City, December 4. “But the truth is there’s still a lot of good work to do … and this room is filled with folks who are doing that good work.“

Organized by amfAR and M•A•C VIVA GLAM, the panel featured Kiara St. James, founder and executive director of the New York Transgender Advocacy Group; Robert Pitts, MD, medical director at the HIV Prevention and Pride Center at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue; and Andrea Gramatica, PhD, vice president and director of research at amfAR.

Moderated by amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost, the lively conversation offered diverse perspectives on topics ranging from HIV stigma to safer sex messages and from social determinants of HIV to updates on cure research.

Asked what World AIDS Day means to him, Dr. Gramatica responded, “As a scientist, it’s a reminder to always keep pushing the boundaries of science while trying not to lose sight of the humanity that drives our effort.” Dr. Pitts said, “It’s a reminder to me of the inequities that still exist in terms of who is getting HIV, where people are getting HIV, and the social constructs that put someone at risk for HIV.”

As the conversation veered toward what needs to be done to reduce rates of infection, Kiara St. James said, “We need to really address the lack of economic opportunities for young people, especially black and brown folks … to educate our youth in regards to the benefits of being HIV negative … and to give them hope. If folks do not see that they have a future, it’s going to be really hard to convince them to get on PrEP or use condoms.”

Asked about the kinds of misconceptions about HIV he encounters among his patients, Dr. Pitts said that, even today, many people still lack a good understanding of how HIV is, and is not, transmitted. “I think people are really concerned that they’re going to give it to somebody else, that they’re going to give it to a child,” he said. “It’s just so important to educate people about U=U—undetectable equals untransmittable.”

As the session drew to a close with a discussion of the vital work of community-based organizations in New York City and across the country, Frost reminded the audience that amfAR was a pioneer in doing research at the community level. “We actually established the first community-based clinical trials program in America,” he said. “And it literally changed the way clinical research is done today. It radically reshaped the way drugs were tested and ultimately approved by the FDA. So amfAR has a very long track record of investing in community organizations … because we believe in letting communities lead. It’s part of our DNA.”

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