Dear Colleagues,

IHD is pleased to announce that Abt Associates is part of a new USAID cooperative agreement that will promote correct and consistent use of microbicides by women at high risk for HIV infection.  The EMOTION (Enhancing Microbicide Uptake in High-Risk End Users) Project will be led by the prime awardee, CONRAD Eastern Virginia Medical School.  In addition to Abt, the partners include IDEO, CAPRISA, and RTI.  Abt’s role will focus on designing the marketing and launch plans for this new product; the estimated value of our sub-award is just under $2 million.   The country focus has not been finalized, but we anticipate that South Africa will be the first country to launch this new gel product that kills the HIV virus.  This is a strategic win for IHD that expands our partnership relationships, our geographic footprint, and most importantly, our contributions to life-saving products that empower women and girls to protect their health.

I would like to thank everyone who participated in the process of developing the initial concept note, the proposal, and answering clarification questions.  This effort was led by Gael O’Sullivan with valuable contributions from:

Phuong Chau

Caytie Decker

Margarita Fernandez

Lara Hensley

Milly Kayongo

Lisa Nichols

John Osika

Brianna Spittle

Appreciation and Congratulations to you all!
Diana