New network to focus on gender and HIV
A new research network focused exclusively on gender, sexuality, and HIV is hoping to become a conduit for researchers, programmers, policy makers, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders working in AIDS-ravaged communities. The Gender, Sexuality, and HIV Research Network, which was launched last month at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, is a partnership between the International Center for Research on Women in Washington and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. The major goals of the network are to address current gaps in research and identify future research priorities to create effective interventions that address gender and sexuality issues.
The network has chosen to focus first on the dynamics of concurrency of sexual partners—when an individual has two or more sexual partnerships at the same time—and its association with higher rates of HIV/AIDS. It is difficult to establish epidemiological trends within these high-risk populations because concurrency can range from having multiple, sequential partners in a short time frame to polygamous marriages, but by focusing on this issue in particular, the network hopes to stimulate discussion about it within the research community. —Regina McEnery
The network has chosen to focus first on the dynamics of concurrency of sexual partners—when an individual has two or more sexual partnerships at the same time—and its association with higher rates of HIV/AIDS. It is difficult to establish epidemiological trends within these high-risk populations because concurrency can range from having multiple, sequential partners in a short time frame to polygamous marriages, but by focusing on this issue in particular, the network hopes to stimulate discussion about it within the research community. —Regina McEnery