The Risk and Resilience Method Center

presents:

HIV prevention -  programs to reduce risks

Liza Solomon (USH) and Catherine Thompson (IHD), Presenters

As part of the events leading up to the 20th International AIDS Conference, which will be held in Australia in July, the Risk and Resilience Methods Center is pleased to feature two of Abt’s leading HIV/AIDS experts.  Liza Solomon and Cathy Thompson will discuss how HIV prevention programs utilize strategies to reduce risk; specific approaches include use of social networks (one of the central elements of Abt’s resilience framework), and innovative testing and linkage programs, both in the US and in the developing world. Liza will talk about approaches to bring HIV testing services to highly impacted communities; Cathy will discuss how networks of people living with HIV/AIDS in Mozambique are an  important component in increasing retention in care.

Liza Solomon joined Abt five years ago.  She has more than twenty years’ experience in HIV policy research, program design and execution, and program evaluation. Liza served for nine years in a senior policy and management position as Director of the AIDS Administration for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and seven years conducting epidemiological studies of HIV at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. At Abt, Liza currently directs several HIV projects, these include a study designed to identify undiagnosed HIV positive men who have sex with men and link them to care; a study designed to evaluate integrated systems of care; and studies assessing linkage to care for HIV positive individuals released from jail and prison. Liza received her Masters and Doctorate in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Cathy Thompson joined Abt Associates in December 2013 as the Principal Associate/HIV Strategic Lead for IHD.  She has over 25 years of international public health experience with 23 of those living in Africa and Asia.  For the past three years Cathy worked at FHI360 in the DC office as a Regional Director supporting programs in Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria and East Africa including the regional ROADS II project.  Additionally she was the FHI360 Zambia Country Director and the Chief of Party for the Zambia Prevention Care and Treatment Partnership II (ZPCT) in Zambia.  She also worked for USAID as the Deputy HIV and AIDS Officer in Namibia, leading the development of the Namibia Five-Year HIV and AIDS strategy and in Nepal as the Infectious Diseases Advisor.  She holds a Masters of Public Health, International Population and Family Health from Columbia University and her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from New York University.

Information about the series, and a space for online discussion is available on the Methods Center website, here:

http://blogs.cam.abtassoc.com/MethodsCenters/?page_id=2962

Thursday June 19, 2014 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Locations

Potomac  Room, Bethesda; Ramp Room 3, Cambridge; and Hatteras Room, Durham

Telecommuters, please call in:

Domestic telecommuters: 1-888-446-7584

International telecommuters: 1-212-372-3742

Participant code:  8350358

To view the slides:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/join/732798833

Meeting ID: 732-798-833