Video Webinars – Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

A display of AIDS artifacts, including a t-shirt, signs, and buttons. — A collection of HIV Activism material, on loan from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and currently on display in the exhibition, "Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World" at the National Museum of Natural History. Photo by James Di Loreto; Lucia RM Martino; and Fred Cochard, Smithsonian Institution

AIDS at the Intersection of Community, Science, and Policy

A Three-Part Series for World AIDS Day 2020

December 1-3, 2020

Since 1988 World AIDS Day has been an opportunity to remember those lost and support those affected, while uniting in the goal of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Join us for World AIDS Day this year for a three-part series that honors those who have made a difference: healthcare workers who comforted those with AIDS, activists who fought and still fight for better policies and treatments, and scientists who have worked for decades to save lives.

These free programs will be presented as Zoom video webinars. Links will be emailed to all registrants; click the event titles to register.

Part 1: HIV Activists and Caretakers

Four men holding a banner that reads, A.I.D.S.: We need research - not hysteria! — Photo credit: Rollis University/New York Historical Society

December 1, 2020, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET

When young gay men started dying from HIV-related illnesses in the early 80s, healthcare workers and community activists fought for action from an apathetic government. Their efforts ignited a movement that improved access to health care and extended civil rights for the LGBTQ community in American society. The first program in the series looks back at the work and successes of HIV activists and caretakers confronting the HIV pandemic.

Speakers:

Cecilia Chung, Director of Evaluation and Strategic Initiatives at Transgender Law Center
More to be announced

Part 2: Scientific Advances in HIV Detection and Treatment

View of the AIDS Quilt on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. — Photo credit: Names Project Foundation

December 2, 2020, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET

When HIV emerged in the U.S., there was no treatment and no hope for those infected. Now, after four decades of research, it’s possible to live a long life with HIV, and the diagnostic tools needed to end the HIV epidemic could be in hand. The second program in the series explores the scientific advances made in HIV detection and treatment, as well as the obstacles we must overcome to make an HIV-free future a reality.

Speakers:

Seble Kassaye, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine/Infectious Diseases, Georgetown University
More to be announced

Part 3: How Laws and Policies Affect the Spread of HIV

A huge red AIDS ribbon on the side of a building. — Photo credit: Tim Evanson via Wikimedia CC BY-SA 2.0.

December 3, 2020, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET

Law and policy affect the success or failure of the public health response to HIV. While there are policies that continue to support funding for HIV research, laws that criminalize HIV encourage stigma and prevent people from seeking testing. The third and final program in the series features experts on how current laws and policies affect the spread of HIV infections.

Speakers: