Four scholars from Lebanon, Vietnam, South Africa and China will be arriving next month to participate in "A Training Program for Research Among MSM in Developing World Settings" from January to May 2013 under the supervision of Dr. Ron Stall.
This grant is funded by the American Foundation for AIDS Research to support an international scholar initiative that will not only conduct ground-breaking work in HIV risk among MSM, but also support emerging leaders who will help define effective responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic among MSM in their home countries.
The Scholars:
Johnny Tohme, a clinical psychologist from Lebanon, Middle East, is also studying to become a certified drama therapist. An LGBT activist in the MENA region since 2006, he is currently working in a sexual health center as a psycho-sexual health manager and research coordinator. His goals are to develop more research skills to meet the needs of the LGBT community in the region in order to gain new evidence based projects focusing on sexual health and behavioral change.
Nguyen Anh Ngoc is Deputy-Director of Center for Applied Research on Men and Health (CARMAH), an MSM-led local NGO working on HIV interventions and research and providing health services including HIV to MSM and TG in Ho Chi Minh City. Prior to that, Ngoc previously worked at MSM interventions and research program at the Harvard Medical School AIDS Initiative in Vietnam HAIVN). Currently, he is also acting as Governing Board Member of the Purple Sky Network (PSN) Foundation, a community-based sub-regional network working on health and human rights of people with sexual diversity in the Greater Mekong Sub-region.
Johan Hugo is a senior medical officer at Anova Health Institute in Cape Town, South Africa Institute at an MSM Centre of Excellence where he provides HIV and STI prevention and treatment services in an academically supported primary health care level environment. His main field of interest is the sexual health of gay, bisexual and other MSM but is also interested in behavioral and biological drivers of sexually transmitted diseases in this population. Dr. Hugo considers himself to be fortunate to be involved with a number of research projects at the men's clinic including a harm reduction service to MSM who use drugs and a study of asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections among MSM.
Li Jianjun received his Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Nanjing Medical University, and is a research staff member at the Institute of AIDS/STI Prevention and Control, Jiangsu Provincial CDC (China). His research focuses on HIV behavioral intervention among men who have sex with men(MSM).
12/05/2012