World AIDS Day 2021 at CHIPTS
CHIPTS was honored to collaborate with partners across Southern California to commemorate World AIDS Day 2021. Observed on December 1 every year, World AIDS Day offers an opportunity for people worldwide to come together to share stories and remembrances, and to bring awareness to efforts to end the HIV epidemic. The U.S. Government’s theme for World AIDS Day 2021 was “Ending the HIV Epidemic: Equitable Access, Everyone’s Voice,” emphasizing a commitment to ending the HIV epidemic by addressing health inequities and ensuring the voices of people with HIV are centered in our work. The four World AIDS Day events that CHIPTS supported this year aimed to offer opportunities for reflection and celebration as researchers and community stakeholders work together to end the HIV epidemic here in Southern California.
World AIDS Day 2021 Virtual Event: Addressing Inequities and Syndemics to End the HIV Epidemic
CHIPTS and the San Diego Center for AIDS Research (SD CFAR) co-hosted a virtual event entitled “Addressing Inequities and Syndemics to End the HIV Epidemic” for World AIDS Day on December 1, 2021, from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM PST. The event highlighted innovative research to address HIV and syndemics of trauma, substance use, and mental health disorders, and community perspectives on how we can work together to combat inequities and end the HIV epidemic.
CHIPTS Director Dr. Steve Shoptaw and Branch Chief of the NIMH Division of AIDS Research Dr. Chris Gordon offered opening remarks, welcoming the event’s 176 participants and reflecting on this day 40 years after the first reports of HIV/AIDS in Southern California. Dr. Jamila Stockman, Co-Director of the SD CFAR Health Equity Sociobehavioral Science Core, followed by leading participants in a moment of remembrance while a memorial ribbon displayed the names of participants’ loved ones lost to HIV/AIDS.
Both centers then offered presentations highlighting innovative research to address HIV inequities and syndemics. Presenters included Drs. Nina Harawa and David Goodman-Meza from CHIPTS, and Drs. Stockman and Eileen Pitpitan from the SD CFAR. Learn more about the presenters here: World AIDS Day 2021 - Speaker Bios
Following the presentations, Dr. Shoptaw facilitated a panel discussion with community stakeholders Terry Smith, Dr. Jeanette Aldous, and Khloe Rios-Wyatt about their perspectives on World AIDS Day and the work ahead to end the HIV epidemic.
The event concluded with a participant call to action led by Dr. Stockman and a celebratory raffle for three e-gift cards. Dr. Shoptaw offered closing remarks.
UCLA World AIDS Day 2021 Event
CHIPTS hosted a World AIDS Day event for the UCLA campus at Wilson Plaza on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 from 1:30 PM-3:30 PM PST. As part of the event, staff from CHIPTS, the California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Center, and the Los Angeles Family AIDS Network offered free ice-cream, swag bags, HIV/AIDS-related resources, and safer sex supplies to over 350 attendees. Students from the Black Latino AIDS Project (BLAIDS) engaged attendees in educational games about HIV. The UCLA HIV Counseling and Testing Coalition (HCAT) also provided free saliva-based HIV testing and counseling.
Many collaborating partners across the UCLA campus sponsored this exciting event to commemorate World AIDS Day and raise awareness about HIV among the UCLA community:
View our mini-gallery featuring photos from the event.
Long Beach World AIDS Day 2021 Event
The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (LB HHS) partnered with CHIPTS, the LGBTQ Center Long Beach, and other organizations to host a World AIDS Day event at Bixby Park in Long Beach, CA, on December 1, 2021, from 3:30 PM-7:00 PM PST. The event included a resource fair, speaking engagements by LB HHS Director Kelly Colopy and District 2 Councilmember Cindy Allen, and a candle-light vigil walk to a red ribbon memorial at the beach honoring lives lost to HIV/AIDS.
The CHIPTS booth featured the HPTN 094 Integra study mobile clinic led by CHIPTS Combination Prevention Core Affiliate Dr. David Goodman-Meza. Dr. Goodman-Meza and his team provided education about HIV/AIDS and injection drug use, and CHIPTS staff offered free ice-cream, swag bags, and HIV/AIDS-related resources to nearly 150 people.
View our mini-gallery featuring event photos.
The Long Beach Press-Telegram also published a featured article on the event.
Drew CARES World AIDS Day 2021 Event
CHIPTS participated in the World AIDS Day event at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science on Friday, December 3, 2021, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The event was hosted by Drew Center for AIDS Research, Education, and Services (Drew CARES) and the OASIS clinic. Over 80 students, staff, faculty, and community members visited the CHIPTS table to learn more about the work we do in collaboration with our partners to address social and structural inequities and end the HIV epidemic. CHIPTS staff engaged with attendees and offered swag bags and HIV/AIDS-related educational resources.
The event also featured presentations from Drew CARES leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS, including CHIPTS Policy Core Director Dr. Nina Harawa. Dr. Harawa and colleagues highlighted successes, challenges, future steps, and the commitment necessary to combat the HIV epidemic nationwide and within our local communities.
View our mini-gallery featuring event photos.
We thank all of our partners for their collaboration on this important day to reflect, raise awareness, and reinvigorate our commitment to ending the HIV epidemic.