We explore experiences of peer research in the UK and Canada and discuss the findings of a fascinating qualitative study looking at the impact of COVID-19 on people living with HIV. Not surprisingly, Canada and UK share similar challenges, barriers and biases… but also the resilience and optimism for living well!

Full episode details

Visit the pozcast episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about the guests featured on the show. Click here for the full audio transcript.

• Fanta Ongoiba is the Executive Director of Africans in Partnership Against AIDS (APAA), and a leader in the African community. She has worked in a number of capacities related to human rights and humanitarian causes, including treatment information exchange counselor at CATIE (Canada’s source for information about HIV and hepatitis C) and as a community health promotion worker at the francophone center of Toronto.
• Pascal is a part-time assistant professor at McMaster University, in the department of health research methods evidence and impact, and a lecturer at Humber College/University of Guelph Humber. Pascal is also a research analyst and methodologist consultant at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He teaches Applied Epidemiology in the BHSc program in the faculty of health sciences and wellness at Humber College. His research focuses on HIV implementation sciences and, health inequities and disparities. 

Full episode details

Visit the pozcast episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about the guests featured on the show. Click here for the full audio transcript.

• Lori Chambers is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto

Full episode details

Visit the pozcast episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about the guests featured on the show. Click here for the full audio transcript.

• Laura O’Grady has produced, coordinated, written or directed hundreds of hours of content, and 2021 marks the release of Undetectable, a project three years in the making. 
• Tiko Kerr joined the Undetectable team in 2019 as Art Director, contributing style frames, composites, original pieces and overall visual direction to further the film’s animation sequences. His artistic practice explores painting, collage, murals, performance and set design.
• Mark Randall is a person living with HIV, a HIV advocate, activist and educator. In his role, Randall provides information, capacity building, access to testing and prevention services and harm reduction resources in a nonjudgmental way.
• Dr. Julio Montaner played a key role in establishing the efficacy of NNRTI based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Since the late 90’s he also pioneered the concept of Treatment as Prevention® (TasP®) and was the first to advocate for the expansion of HAART coverage to curb the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, in terms of decreasing progression to AIDS and death, as well as decreasing HIV transmission.

Join us for this riveting discussion on World AIDS Day, a day for reflection on what we have achieved with regard to the national and global response to HIV, and what we still must achieve. Check out The Positive Effect for more information about the film, U=U and TasP.

Full episode details

Visit the pozcast episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about the guests featured on the show. Click here for the full audio transcript.

Brekly Bertozzi is an HIV-positive mother of two and a Peer Research Assistant with CHIWOS. She is also a focus group facilitator and a peer engagement coordinator on two other large-scale studies, and has contributed her knowledge and voice to many great initiatives, including CATIE’s Can’t Pass It On campaign and Envisioning Women-Centered HIV Care. 

Mina Kazemi is a research coordinator with the Women and HIV Research Program at Women’s College Research Institute and is the provincial coordinator for CHIWOS. Recognizing that solutions and capacity lie within communities, Mina is committed to community-driven and social justice approaches to research and knowledge translation.

Tune in to hear what’s driving the enduring success of this landmark community-based research study, and how it continues to positively impact the landscape and enrich the lives of women living with HIV in Canada.

Full episode details

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about guests Breklyn and Mina. Click here for the full audio transcript.

Working with peer researchers in HIV community-based research (CBR) is a complex undertaking. It requires self-reflection, empathy, and a commitment to GIPA/MIPA and social justice principles. The dynamics of the work are as ever-changing as frameworks that guide its principled practice; with no one-size-fits-all approach. In this episode, host James Watson has a lively conversation with Lori A. Chambers and Zack Marshall, both accomplished social workers, social justice advocates and community-engaged researchers, about their experiences in working with peer researchers and engaging communities in research.

Lori Ann Chambers, Ph.D., is a social worker and researcher who uses storytelling methods to generate and share knowledge from communities living with or impacted by HIV. She has devoted her recent advocacy to telling the stories of women of African descent employed in HIV/AIDS service organizations and in collaboration with African, Caribbean and Black community advocates, she is co-leading Because She Cares, a performance narrative project that translates research into spoken word theatre and film.

Zack Marshall is a community-based researcher and an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at McGill University. Building on a history of community work in the areas of HIV, harm reduction, and mental health, Zack's research explores interdisciplinary connections between public engagement, knowledge production and research ethics in queer and trans communities using digital methods. Current projects that address these themes are: Knowsy, an accessible online portal for LGBTQ2S+ knowledge synthesis, and Shift, a project exploring labour practices in participatory research.

Full episode details

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about guests Lori and Zack. Click here for the full audio transcript.

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Tim is a Peer Research Associate (PRA) at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS with over 29 years of experience living with HIV. Lynne lives in Ottawa and has been a PRA for over 10 years, predominately working on studies that look at the impact of the social determinants of health on people living with HIV. She is currently part of the Ontario team that is working on the HIV Stigma Index with REACH Nexus at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. 

In addition to our episode guests, we also hear from several PRAs across Canada about their experiences in research and how they see these participatory, community-based processes evolving over time.

In this frank and revealing conversation, we take a closer look at how the principles of GIPA and MEPA are holding up in research settings and learn how our guests apply their “peerness” to strengthen the approach to research and its outcomes. 

This episode has a little bit for everyone, so check it out and stay tuned for next month’s episode as we continue this conversation with two Principal Investigators who are leading innovative community-based research projects in two different regions of Canada.

Full episode details

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about guests Mark, Logan and Charlie. Click here for the full audio transcript.

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Tune in to hear Dr. Mark Yudin from the University of Toronto and Logan Kennedy from Women’s College Hospital talk about their research on men’s fertility desires and fatherhood, stigma-free parenting environments and the reasons why fertility researchers are turning their attention to men.

You will also get the chance to hear from Charlie, a Peer Researcher with the men’s fertility study led by Mark and Logan, who chose to remain anonymous for the interview. He speaks about how inspiring it was to interview other men and hear stories about their families and their desires to become parents, and later in the episode claims: “I believe that becoming a good father is one of the greatest endeavours in life and I forgot about that somewhere along the way in my diagnosis.”

Full episode details

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about guests Mark, Logan and Charlie. Click here for the full audio transcript.

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It’s also a time in which we share stories, teachings and traditions, and take action toward Truth and Reconciliation. With this in mind, we are excited to have guest host Doris Peltier take us through this month’s episode as she and two special guests, Elder Albert McLeod and Dr. Randy Jackson with the Feast Centre for Indigenous STBBI Research, explore key inflection points of the Indigenous HIV movement in Canada. 

The response to HIV/AIDS in Indigenous communities

The historical narrative of the Indigenous HIV movement in Canada has not been told in a true historical sense with Indigenous peoples as the narrators of their own HIV history. The story of disease and the pathologizing of Indigenous peoples predate HIV and this pathogenic narrative is what mainstream Canada has gotten used to hearing and reading about when it comes to Indigenous people. 

Since the first reported HIV/AIDS case in North America 40 years ago, there continue to be many people who carry the historical narrative of the Indigenous HIV movement in Canada. Two of these people are Albert McLeod and Randy Jackson, and listeners are in for a real treat as the two discuss what took place in Indigenous communities and how particular leaders helped shape the response to HIV/AIDS.

The episode will also feature art, the music of Burnt Project1 and David Boulanger, and personal narratives that will take us further in our exploration of the perspectives and experiences shared by Indigenous people as we honour the collective legacies of peoples and communities who are living with and/or affected by HIV/AIDS in Canada. This is one timely and important episode that you won’t want to miss!

Full episode details

For full episode details and more about our pozcast host and guests, visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website. Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you’re notified when new episodes are released each month.

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Host James Watson hands over the mic to two special guests, Adrian Betts, the Executive Director of the AIDS Committee of Durham Region, and Ashley Murphy, an actor, an AIDS Activist and 23-year-old who’s been living with HIV since birth (see Ashley's Ted Talk).

With vastly different journeys, we will hear about our guests’ unique but shared experiences, as well as their challenges, triumphs and lessons learned along the way. Host James Watson gets them started with a debate on the use of the term “hero” to describe their role in community, and the two discuss what it means to be a long-term survivor of HIV, the dating world, the importance of education and the empowering experience of sharing your story. 

Both long-term survivors, both inspirational leaders in the community—let’s listen in.

Full episode details 

For full episode details and more about our pozcast guests, visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website. Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you’re notified when new episodes are released each month.

Click here for the full audio transcript.

ABRPO provides a compassionate presence and educational support to mitigate the impacts of HIV/AIDS related loss and grief on diverse communities across Ontario. In line with their focus on creating educational tools and interventions that acknowledge and address the impact of peoples’ grief experiences, ABRPO has moved many of its resources online to be accessed by individuals, workplaces and communities—wherever they are.

Team check-ins and debriefs can now be guided by ABRPO’s new online Holistic Check-in tool, a 15-minute module has a little something for everyone. So go check it out!

Thanks for checking out this month’s episode of pozcast.

For full episode details and more about our pozcast guest, visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website. Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you’re notified when new episodes are released each month.

Click here for the full audio transcript.

Over the course of this leadership dialogue, we have heard words like leader and ally, advocate and activist come to the surface. Each role is different, but each role is also uniquely pivotal in our collective efforts to raise awareness of the medical and research advances for HIV—like Treatment As Prevention and U=U—while continuing to champion equitable access to HIV testing, treatment and care. 

“To be an activist is to speak. To be an advocate is to listen. Society can’t move forward without both.” — Eva Lewis

James and Randy discuss important champions of the U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) message like Terrence Higgins Trust and CATIE with their "Can't Pass It On" campaigns and the important work of the Prevention Access Campaign—while discussing Randy’s own humble journey into activism and the initiation of his own I CAN GIVE YOU campaign. “Yeah, it's—I feel kind of strange when I talk about the campaign because as corny as it sounds, it literally truly did come to me in a dream one night,” Randy recalls in the episode.

Randy also discusses his approach to balancing his role in activism with his role as a Gay Men's Sexual Health Coordinator at the Gilbert Centre —an AIDS service organization in Barrie, Ontario. The show also explores his exciting involvement Slay Stigma Canadian Drag Tour with Trinity K Bonet and his role as TV Host of Let's Be Perfectly Queer with Randy Davis, and the show revisits some topics related to last month’s leadership episode with Tara Jewel and Marc Seguin from PLDI (Positive Leadership Development Institute). If you haven't yet listened to last month's show, listen here. 

Thanks for checking out this month’s episode of pozcast.

For full episode details and more about our pozcast guest, visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website. Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you’re notified when new episodes are released each month.

Click here for the full audio transcript.

Host James Watson chats with his guests Tara Jewal and Marc Seguin, both provincial managers of the Positive Leadership Development Institute (PLDI), about their approach to leadership and the exciting work they do. PLDI is a program that aims to support people living with HIV to realize their leadership potential and increase their capacity to participate meaningfully in community life. We can all be leaders, because as our guests point out, leaders are learners! 

Tara offers over a decade of professional expertise gained through national and international work, and volunteer roles. She has worked with the federal government, the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation, The Teresa Group, and currently manages the Positive Leadership Development Institute on behalf of the Ontario AIDS Network.

Similar to his counterpart, Marc began his work in the HIV community as a volunteer with Friends for Life and the Retreat Team with Positive Living BC, which over time evolved into a paid position with Positive Living BC as the Manager of Volunteer Services. In his current role as Manager of the Positive Leadership Development Institute (PLDI) at the Pacific AIDS Network, he wants to provide leadership opportunities and encourage people living with HIV to meaningfully connect with their communities.

What defines leadership?

The conversation starts with an introduction to leadership development in HIV/AIDS work, and references the important work Greg Szekeres and his paper titled, Leadership development and HIV/AIDS, as well as The Leadership Challenge, developed by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. 

Core leadership components of PLDI that were discussed include: 

• Modeling the way
• Inspiring a shared vision
• Encouraging the heart
• Enabling others to act
• Challenging the process

More about PLDI:

PLDI is a program of the Ontario AIDS Network (OAN) and was first launched in 2006. Since then, PLDI has expanded its reach to BC, where its programming is supported by the Pacific AIDS Network, and in Quebec, where it is supported by COCQ-SIDA (the Coalition of Quebec community organizations fighting against HIV/AIDS).

Visit the Ontario, BC, and Quebec web pages for more information on what exciting things PLDI is doing in each province, or contact our episode guests, Tara (tjewal@oan.red) and Marc (marc@pacificaidsnetwork.org ) directly.

Are you considering this leadership training and would like to hear from a PLDI graduate? Check out the post titled, From the Front Lines: Learn to be a Leader, on the CATIE website.

Thanks for checking out this month’s episode of pozcast.

For full episode details and more about our pozcast guests, visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website. Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you’re notified when new episodes are released each month.

Click here for the full audio transcript.

For full episode details and more about Mikiki, visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website. Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you’re notified when new episodes are released each month.

Also check out our recent blog post, ‘Art, activism and HIV: triggering emotions, imagination and action’ where we explore some of the origins and ideas surrounding gay culture, art movements and activism.

Click here for the full audio transcript.

Doris is a gifted storyteller and performer, and is currently working as a Community Engagement Coordinator with the Feast Centre for Indigenous STBBI Research. She has been involved in Indigenous community-based research for around a decade, and is fluent in her Indigenous language, which frames her worldview and approach to Indigenous research.

Creating safe spaces that allow for empowering and thoughtful conversations about HIV are important for engaging with Indigenous communities, and Doris points to a facilitation guide created for the CAAN and CATIE production titled Strong Medicine as an important tool.

For full episode details and more about Doris, visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website. Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you’re notified when new episodes are released each month. 

Click here for the full audio transcript.

With a TikTok following of over 20,000 people, James Tison has found a large audience and a great way to share jokes during the pandemic. With the tag line, “such nice skin…” their website is a great spot for a number of acting and stand-up videos, and for insights into what is meant by “gender non-binary.”

On the later part of the show, David tells us more about the Stand Up For Mental Health program and how it’s been used to ease internalized stigma around mental health issues. David wraps up the episode by adding, “The ability to make people laugh is a huge confidence builder.” 

For full episode details visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website. Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to be sure to never miss an episode!

Nick defines Harm Reduction as a philosophical approach to understanding drug use and working with people who use drugs. He points out that it’s a health and social issue, rather than a criminal or moral one.

Both guests discuss the importance of language, the power of lived experience, and wrap up with advice on what to do if a person is struggling with their meth use and is seeking advice.

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about this episode’s guest. 

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Our guest’s passion and knowledge for the program is apparent. He gives us an overview of the 12-Steps and highlights Step 1 as the step members must be completely committed to: 

Step 1: We admitted that we were powerless over crystal meth and our lives had become unmanageable.

For those who may be interested in learning more about Crystal Meth Anonymous or attending a meeting, please review the CMA worldwide meeting directory page.

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about this episode’s guest. 

Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you’re notified when new episodes are released each month and never miss an episode!

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about episode guests. 

Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you’re notified when new episodes are released each month and never miss an episode!

First up, James chats with Dr. Sean Rourke, a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Scientist with the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, about Canada’s implementation of the HIV Stigma Index research study. 

Acknowledging the power of personal stories of HIV stigma and resiliency in the fight against HIV, Sean seeks to bring stories together with data from the HIV Stigma Index study. This work is taking shape on The Positive Effect website.

James is later joined by Brittany Cameron, a powerful champion in the fight against HIV stigma. Brittany is an HIV-positive mother of three, an LGBTQ ally, and human rights activist. As a person in a serodiscordant relationship, Brittany talks about the power of living the U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) message and the importance of being able to carry the message forward.

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about episode guests. 

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For more information about storytelling, knowledge mobilization and social change, Lori recommends 7.10 stories.

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details, and to learn more about Lori and her work. 

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Wanting to learn more, host James Watson talks with two people living with HIV who work in the sector: Marvelous Muchenje, a Program Coordinator at the Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre, and Andre Ceranto, Manager of Community Programs, Volunteers & Peers at Fife House in Toronto.

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about guests Marvelous and Andre. 

Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you’re notified when new episodes are released each month and never miss an episode!

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about guests Mark, Logan and Charlie. Click here for the full audio transcript.

Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you’re notified when new episodes are released each month and never miss an episode!

U=U was first coined by the Prevention Access Campaign and an international Consensus Statement was developed endorsed by over 100 countries.

In the episode Laurie discusses some of the skepticism that surrounds both the statement and the science, but how that became reduced as national agencies like CATIE and the Government of Canada publically endorsed U=U. 

For further reading, check out the Blog section of The Positive Effect for a couple of new posts exploring current understandings and implications of the U=U message.

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and more about guests Laurie and Adrian. Click here for the full audio transcript.

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