CAPS/PRC Town Hall presents: Sophia Zamudio-Haas, DrPH, MSc

Currently we have the needed tools to reach HIV epidemic control, yet many people who could benefit from prevention and treatment services remain outside of systems of care. Marginalized groups -- such as people who inject drugs, and gender or sexual minorities -- face political and economic exclusion that both creates vulnerability to HIV and co-morbidities, while worsening related health outcomes. Closing HIV health disparities requires coordinated efforts at multiple levels to understand and address the root causes driving inequities. Too often, public health focuses on changing individual behaviors, without responding to the social, economic, and clinical contexts that shape health disparities. Dr. Zamudio-Haas will draw on examples from her work in health systems quality, access to HIV services, and novel measurement for minority stress to describe how an intersectional lens can close performance gaps and promote health for most vulnerable groups. Engaging qualitative research, her talk will present global stories of trust, connection and healing in the context of increasing uptake of HIV prevention and treatment services for most affected populations.

Sophia Zamudio-Haas, Research Associate at the Division of Prevention Science and Institute for Global Health Science at UCSF, is a social scientist with expertise in qualitative and community-based methods. Her research in applied public health bridges health systems quality and access to HIV services for most affected populations. With a focus on generating innovations and adapting care programs to better meet the needs of marginalized groups, her work aims to close HIV health disparities. She has led research and programs in over 10 country contexts, primarily in Latin America and Africa. Currently, Dr. Zamudio-Haas leads a HIV/TB optimal performance through improved quality PEPFAR-funded project in South Africa. She also collaborates on several studies focused on improving uptake of HIV prevention and care services for transgender women in the US and Brazil.