Advocates Archive - G
[please choose the first initial of the Advocate's last name]
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Jerry Galea
Lima, Peru
IRMA Steering Committee Member
"My involvement in IRMA and rectal microbicides was somewhat accidental. Though I started working in HIV prevention it 1992, it was a new position in 2003 where I had the opportunity to work on a rectal health and behaviors study. I had heard of microbicides before that, in the 1990’s, but they were always talked about in strictly “vaginal” terms; I had not thought about rectal microbicides. The idea of having another HIV prevention tool for all people who have anal sex just makes sense."
Jerry believes that people will use different HIV prevention methods at different times and in different combinations. In terms of HIV, the more options available for prevention, the better.One of his frustrations with HIV prevention research is that anything “anal” or “rectal” is still taboo. It is clear that the realm of microbicide research is no exception by the way organizations fail to include rectal microbicides on their research agenda. Jerome’s commitment rests on his belief that advocacy is one of the most essential components to the success of rectal microbicides. Developing a rectal microbicide and making it available to people everywhere is necessary to have a serious impact on preventing new HIV infections.
Aside from a rectal microbicide advocate, Jerry is also interested in gay men’s health from a cultural and empowerment approach, especially in Latin America where he is working to open Peru’s first gay men’s center. When he finds the time, he likes to travel, drink good coffee, and spend time with his partner and their two “kids” – a weiner dog and a cat.
[posted March 2008 - UPDATE: read Jerry's blog post from November 4, 2009 - Finding the IRMA Advocate Within]]
Dr. Pamina Gorbach
Los Angeles, USA
Pamina Gorbach is a behavioral epidemiologist who focuses her research on the risky behaviors that expose individuals to STIs/HIV and on the social context of sexual health among other topics.
Pamina has several concurrent research projects. The first is a longitudinal study of men recently infected with HIV and their sexual partners. Another is an epidemiological study of men’s and women’s rectal health and behaviors and a study of rectal applicator acceptability as part of the UCLA Microbicide Development Program (U19).
Her interest in rectal health and microbicide development contributed to her involvement with IRMA, as she has been an active member of the Steering Committee. She states, “I feel there is a critical need for a prevention method specifically for anal intercourse, a behavior that carries an elevated risk of HIV transmission. As this is an indisputably common practice for many men AND women, rectal microbicides offer a very promising new prevention option, and I believe people will use them, and like them!”
In early 2007, UCLA began actively enrolling for the world’s first rectal microbicide safety trial. Gorbach’s team of researchers also helped with the studies mentioned in IRMA’s publication “Less Silence, More Science.” At the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico Cit her group helped analyze the data that was showcased in a poster presentation titled, "International Lubricant Use Behaviours for Anal Intercourse - Focus on Women."
The Johns Hopkins trained Gorbach is currently an Associate Professor at UCLA at the School of Public Health and at the School of Medicine. Dr. Gorbach serves as a member of the Behavioral Research Committee of the Microbicides Trial Network.
Gorbach is a big fan of traveling for leisure and for her professional work. Her incredible international experience includes research in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic Peru, Cambodia, Vietnam, Mali, Malawi, and Ghana.
[Posted August 2008]
