News Tip: Bold Goal to End AIDS by 2030 Will Fail Without Strategy Change, Duke Scholar Says

DURHAM, N.C. – December 1 is World AIDS Day. Project 2030, a global effort to end AIDS by the end of this decade, is behind schedule and needs to change its approach in order to meet that audacious goal, Duke scholar Vincent Guilamo-Ramos says.

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos

Quotes:

“The fight to end HIV/AIDS has had many wins. The development of preventative therapies and treatments has been pivotal in reducing cases and improving the lives of people who do live with AIDS – which is no longer a death sentence. These are facts worth celebrating.”

“But the many tools and resources we have are not being utilized correctly. We aren’t targeting the most vulnerable populations and addressing the underlying social causes of healthcare inequities.”

“If we don't address these root problems, we risk missing the goal and – most importantly – leaving behind people who experience the highest disease burden and the most inequity. As a country we must acknowledge that we cannot end HIV without a fundamentally different approach – targeting the underlying social drivers of HIV.”

Bio:
Vincent Guilamo-Ramos is dean of the Duke University School of Nursing and vice chancellor for nursing affairs at Duke University. In addition, he is the founding director of the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health at Duke University.

Guilamo-Ramos is a nurse practitioner who specializes in the primary care of adolescents and adults at elevated risk of or experiencing negative sexual health outcomes, in particular HIV and sexually transmitted infections.

For comment, contact Vincent Guilamo-Ramos at Vincent.ramos@duke.edu