SINGAPORE, Oct. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gilead Sciences, Inc. and IAS – the International AIDS Society – have renewed their Me and My Healthcare Provider partnership to expand the campaign in Brazil, Hong Kong, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan. The collaborative partnership, now entering its second year, offers an opportunity for people affected by HIV to celebrate the contributions of healthcare professionals who have made a difference in their lives.

"Healthcare workers are an integral part of ensuring access and continued care for people living with or at risk of HIV," IAS President Sharon Lewin said. "Whether it is a client's first visit to a health facility or a day-to-day interaction, every single worker can enable a stigma-free and health-promoting experience. We are elated to continue this meaningful partnership with Gilead. Amplifying the Healthcare Provider Champions' inspiring stories of their stigma-free care approach will go a long way to bringing us one step closer to an HIV stigma-free future for all."

According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), discrimination in healthcare settings is one of the major obstacles to ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 ^[1].

Launched in 2015, the Me and My Healthcare Provider campaign recognizes healthcare workers who deliver quality HIV prevention, treatment and care in the face of discriminatory laws and stigmatizing traditions and belief systems. The campaign aims to build a better understanding of what motivates Healthcare Provider Champions to provide inclusive and stigma-free services, further illuminating information-based and skills-building strategies adopted in local healthcare settings to enable inclusive care ^[2]. By highlighting their stories, the campaign ultimately hopes to encourage replication and empower other healthcare providers to raise their voices against stigma.

"To fully embrace our client-centric care approach, we need to tackle stigma and discrimination," Belinda Jump, Executive Director, Medical Affairs Head, Intercontinental Region, Gilead Sciences, said. "We are honored to collaborate once again with the IAS on the Me and My Healthcare Provider campaign to recognize exemplary role models in the healthcare setting. Through our partnership, we are committed to providing a platform to amplify their voices with the hopes of inspiring and empowering the healthcare community to confront stigma head-on." 

This year, the campaign is expanding to include a USD 20,000 seed grant to organizations based in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan. This will support the co-design and implementation of a local campaign, as well as work with the 2023 Healthcare Champion pairs to enhance training activities for healthcare workers to promote stigma-free service delivery in their communities. Find out more here; proposals are welcomed now until 25 November 2022.

Nominations for 2023 Healthcare Provider Champions from Brazil, Hong Kong, Mexico, South Korea, and Taiwan will open in early 2023. Champions and their nominators will be announced at IAS 2023, the 12th IAS Conference on HIV Science, in Brisbane, Australia, where they will also be invited to attend a broad range of stigma-related events to share their best practice examples.

For any questions about the Me and My Healthcare Provider campaign, please reach out to advocacy@iasociety.org. Click here for detailed stories about the 2022 Healthcare Provider Champions.

About Gilead Sciences  

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis and cancer.

For 35 years, Gilead has been a leading innovator in the field of HIV, driving advances in treatment, prevention and cure research. Gilead is committed to continued scientific innovation to provide solutions for the evolving needs of people affected by HIV around the world. Through partnerships and collaborations, the company also aims to improve education, expand access and address barriers to care, with the goal of ending the HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere. Gilead was recognized as the number one philanthropic funder of HIV-related programs in a report released by Funders Concerned About AIDS.

In Asia, Gilead has launched the Asia Pacific Rainbow Grant since 2018, providing more than USD 4.5 million to 112 organizations across Asia Pacific. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.

For more information on Gilead Sciences, please visit the company's website at www.gilead.com/, follow Gilead on Twitter (@GileadSciences) or call Gilead Public Affairs at 1-800-GILEAD-5 or 1-650-574-30.  

About the International Aids Society

IAS – the International AIDS Society – convenes, educates and advocates for a world in which HIV no longer presents a threat to public health and individual well-being. After the emergence of HIV and AIDS, concerned scientists created the IAS to bring together experts from across the world and disciplines to promote a concerted HIV response. Today, the IAS and its members unite scientists, policy makers and activists to galvanize the scientific response, build global solidarity and enhance human dignity for all those living with and affected by HIV. The IAS also hosts the world's most prestigious HIV conferences: the International AIDS Conference, the IAS Conference on HIV Science and the HIV Research for Prevention Conference. 

For more information about the IAS, please visit https://iasociety.org/ and follow the IAS on Twitter (@iasociety).