Via CBRC
This is an invitation to people living with HIV in British Columbia who are interested in informing the delivery of long-acting HIV treatment in Canada.
About Long-Acting HIV treatment
HIV treatment has evolved a lot since the mid-1990s. Recently developed long-acting HIV treatment options can help improve the quality of life of many people. In Canada, the only stand alone long-acting HIV treatment option is injectable Cabenuva, which received Health Canada approval in 2020. New long-acting treatment options such as other injectable formulations, oral pills taken less often, and implants are being developed.
Why do we need community perspectives?
Many people living with HIV are not aware of new long-acting treatment options, even when they are available (such as through Non-Insured Health Benefits for Status First Nations people). And, in BC, long-acting treatment is only available on a case-by-case basis, which means most people do not have access to this treatment. Long-acting HIV treatment can improve quality of life and HIV care for people living with HIV. However, these new treatment options need to be provided in ways that make sense to the people living with HIV who can benefit from them. We want to know more about what people living with HIV have to say about long-acting treatment, including how it should be available.
About CBRC and The Project
Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC) promotes the health of people of diverse sexualities and genders through research and intervention development. CBRC’s core pillars — community-led research, knowledge exchange, network building, and leadership development — position the organization as a thought leader, transforming ideas into actions that make a difference in our communities.
This is a collaborative project between CBRC, Ribbon Community (formerly known as AIDS Vancouver), Afro-Canadian Positive Network of BC, and Vancouver Island Persons Living with HIV/AIDS Society (VPWAS).
The main goal of this project is to identify key priorities for the delivery of long-acting HIV treatments among people living with HIV in British Columbia to inform rollout and minimize access barriers. We will learn this by talking with diverse people living with HIV in BC.
What Are We Looking For?
We are looking for 10 Community Advisors who:
- Live with HIV.
- Live in British Columbia.
- Are interested in long-acting HIV treatment.
- Can work with the research team in English.
- Can work virtually as part of a team across British Columbia (e.g., using Zoom, email, Google Docs, etc).
To promote diversity of opinion and perspective and equitable treatment access, there is a preference for people who identify as Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary, and queer (2S/LGBTQ), Indigenous, Black, a Person of Colour, women, people who use substances, and people who currently have an unsuppressed viral load. Our team believes that no research about these communities should be developed without the communities in question being involved every step of the way. “Nothing about us without us.”
Your Role
Working with the CBRC research team, Community Advisors will steer all activities of this project, including:
- Shaping data collection and analysis plans and tools (e.g., interview guides);
- Interpreting quantitative (i.e., demographic survey) and qualitative (i.e., interview) research findings;
- Developing, and refining knowledge mobilization efforts; and
- Overseeing evaluation of the completed research project.
Collectively, this work will help guide the rollout of long-acting HIV treatment and promote more equitable access to HIV care, contributing to the collective wellbeing of people living with HIV communities in British Columbia and beyond. Community Advisors will work closely with the CBRC Research Team. Meetings will take place virtually by email, phone, or Zoom each month. Each Community Advisor will receive $50 per meeting as an honorarium.
Interested?
Please submit your statement of interest in your preferred format: email (2-3 paragraphs), video, voice recording, or another format to our research team ([email protected]). We will begin to review submissions on May 21, 2024, and will hold follow-up conversations with individuals shortly afterwards.
Acknowledgement
This study is supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and Canadian Foundation For AIDS Research (CANFAR).