Each year on September 27th, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recognizes National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NGMHAAD) to "direct attention to the continuing and disproportionate impact of HIV and AIDS on gay and bisexual men in the United States.”
Each year on September 27th, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recognizes National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NGMHAAD) to “direct attention to the continuing and disproportionate impact of HIV and AIDS on gay and bisexual men in the United States.”
In fact, Dr. Andrea Norcini Pala, a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Social Intervention Group, says that in the United States, men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly African American and Hispanic/Latino men, are disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic.
Dr. Norcini Pala says, “As a social scientist and gay man, I am deeply invested in understanding the structural, psychosocial and biological factors through which multiple stigmas affecting African American and Hispanic/Latino MSM contribute to disparities in HIV health outcomes.” The impact, in fact, is beyond our nation’s borders. In one study Dr. Pala conducted among Italian MSM, he and other researchers found an association between sexual orientation stigma and poorer HIV health outcomes. Through the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia, SIG researchers also address stigma and these health disparities in projects such as Projects UNI, BeOnline, and BRIDGE.
My goal is to develop an intervention addressing these factors to reduce and ultimately eliminate these disparities.
Another national SIG research project, Connect ‘N Unite (CNU), was specifically targeted toward this goal. CNU was a couples-based HIV/STI preventive intervention for illicit drug-involved men who have sex with men (MSM) in New York City. Dr. Elwin Wu, SIG co-Director and Principal Investigator on CNU, created the acronym with another meaning in mind: “Seeing you.” As in, we see YOU, MSM, as fellow human beings worthy of a fulfilling and healthy life.
Dr. Wu presented CNU research at the 2018 International AIDS Conference in a talk entitled: "Partner violence: A significant part of a syndemic among Black men who have sex with men."
Dr. Wu weighed in on the question “In what ways does your research reflect PRIDE?” in an article published by the Columbia University School of Social Work:
Though my research has been focused on preventing HIV and facilitating linkages to care, the PRIDE in my research is more around issues of equity, equal treatment, and reducing discrimination. The interventions I design and test are all about social well-being.
Dr. Wu continues, “For example, if we treat a black male couple and say ‘We want to improve your relationship and build more trust’ and ‘We want you to be proud to be with one another and have the exact same support for your relationship and services as hetero couples,’ I strongly believe their health problems will take care of themselves.”
Dr. Wu has researched and published extensively on this topic. His most recent publication is “Childhood sexual abuse among Black men who have sex with men: A cornerstone of a syndemic?”
In the aforementioned PRIDE article, Dr. Wu says,
Rather than a culture of shame and hiding, where HIV flourishes unabated, a culture of celebration and PRIDE allows open dialogue and therefore linkages to the preventative tools and treatments needed in the community.
Find resources and learn more about the National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day from the CDC website.