The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition(AVAC) by a few volunteers with experience of treatment activism at ACTUP/NY. Their stated mission was to speed the development of preventive HIV vaccines by analyzing obstacles to HIV vaccine development and advocating to remove them, without taking resources away from basic research, treatment, or prevention.
The HIV Prevention Research Advocacy Fellowship pairs emerging leaders in advocacy and activism with existing organizations to develop and execute creative, context-specific projects focused on HIV prevention research. Fellowship projects focus primarily on advocacy around biomedical HIV prevention research (such as clinical trials of vaccines, microbicides, pre-exposure prophylaxis) or rollout of male circumcision for HIV prevention. Fellowship projects may also focus on “test and treat” or ARV treatment as prevention strategies, which are under active discussion in many contexts. Fellows receive training, financial support, and technical assistance to plan and implement a targeted one-year project within host organizations focused on HIV/AIDS.
This is the second year of the Advocacy Fellowship. The Advocacy Fellowship was launched as a joint partnership of AVAC and the Global Campaign for Microbicides (GCM). AVAC now manages the Advocacy Fellowship independently. However, GCM remains a resource for the Advocacy Fellowship and for all advocates.
Applications are now being accepted for the Advocacy Fellowship. Up to ten Fellowships may be awarded.
Moreinfo: www.avac.org/fellows
