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Rectal Microbicide Advocate

Freshly updated as of January, 2010!
Special thanks to Christine Charles and Bridget Haire for preparing these bios.

Check out the Advocate Archive for more.

Abdullrahman Orosanya Mohammed-Saheedi
Lagos, Nigeria

Although born in Osun State Nigeria, Abdullrahman Orosanya Mohammed-Saheed now resides in Lagos State, Nigeria where he works as a social worker and behavioral scientist. It is here that Abdullrahman works diligently in the collaborative efforts to prevent the spread of HIV.

Abdullrahman realizes that, “With the current trend in the increased incidence of HIV being contracted through anal sex, rectal microbicides need to be a priority as a prevention option, especially for marginalized MSM ”

Having worked with the New Vaccine and Microbicides Advocacy Society (NVMAS), Abdullrahman was excited to get involved with IRMA during the special session on rectal microbicides at the 2006 Microbicides conference Cape Town, South Africa, in 2006. Today Abdullrahman is not only a member of IRMA, but utilizes his role as a behavioral scientist to help provide information on possible behavioral change regarding the introduction of rectal microbicides among people at high risk for contracting HIV/AIDS through anal sex.

“Rectal microbicides, if delivered in a lubricant, would be helpful in terms of providing lubrication for the anus and rectum during sexual intercourse. It would also be good if it made sexual intercourse more pleasurable," he says.
[Posted January 2010]

Adebisi A Alimi
London, England

Adebisi A. Alimi (Naz Project London) was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and currently resides in London, where he is fighting on the front lines of AIDS/HIV awareness as a sexual rights advocate and sexual health advisor. Adebisi became familiar with IRMA through Georgina Caswell of GNP+, but has been an advocate for AIDS/HIV rights for a few years now.

“I believe the best way to fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS is through prevention. It gives me excitement everyday that the battle against HIV can be won!”

Since his introduction to IRMA, Adebisi has been advocating for IRMA by raising the issue at the 2nd International Expert meeting in Amsterdam and circulating a newsletter to help increase awareness.
[Posted January 2010]

Charlene Dezzutti
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Charlene Dezzutti is a Pittsburgh native, who lived down south while working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA prior to her current job as an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. It was during her time at the CDC, that Charlene began her work with microbicides for HIV prevention. Charlene sees microbicides as a critical component in the prevention package, saying “HIV does not discriminate against anyone so we must be prepared to help everyone.”

Her involvement with IRMA was initiated while she worked at the CDC, however, since getting involved Charlene’s passion for microbicides has only grown, always happy to spread the word about the importance of microbicides, and has given talks to her own colleagues as well as community groups to raise awareness of microbicides, as well as rectal-specific microbicides.
[Posted January 2010]

Carolina Herrera
London, England

Born in Barcelona, Spain, Carolina Herrera’s interest in clinical and biomedical research led her to study at St. Georges, University of London where she is a post-doctoral research fellow.
“The colorectal tract is the most efficient route of HIV transmission,” she says. “Furthermore, not only are women more susceptible to infection, but on a global basis there are more women exposed to HIV through rectal intercourse than men. Therefore, the development of a microbicide that works rectally will have a huge impact on the spread of HIV for both men and women.”

Carolina is currently working on a project regarding the study of (PMPA)'s activity for rectal usage in macaques (PMPA stands for acyclic nucleoside phosphonate 9-(R)-2-(phosphono- methoxypropyl)adenine, tenofovir). This project is a compliment to her first project, which discusses RTI combinations (reverse transcriptase inhibitor) in colorectal explants.

Carolina’s rectal microbicide advocacy began by engaging in lectures and talks that were organized by advocates of the UK African Microbicides Working Group's Buzz Café. She also participates in Lab tours for World AIDS day at St. George's.

When Carolina is not in a laboratory, she likes to spend time outdoors riding horses, swimming, and playing volleyball.
[Posted January 2010]

Sharon Hillier
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sharon L. Hillier, Ph.D., is professor and vice chair for faculty affairs, and director of reproductive infectious disease research at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine.
Being an internationally recognized microbiologist, has helped Sharon influence a growing field of research in which women’s health and HIV prevention concerns intersect.

As principal investigator for the Microbicide Trials Network, Sharon is leading an international team of investigators and community and industry partners, in an ambitious research agenda imposed by the urgency of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Although Dr. Hillier’s lab focuses on vaginal microbicides Sharon and her team acknowledge the importance of creating rectal microbicides.

“Microbicides could reduce mucosal transmission of HIV. Since mucosal transmission of HIV occurs both vaginally and rectally, we need to develop microbicides that will be effective no matter what kind of sex people have.”

Sharon recently advocated for microbicides during her presentation on the development of topical Microbicides for the prevention of HIV to the Biomedical Science Caucus of the U.S. Congress.
[Posted January 2010]

Charles Stephens
Atlanta, Georgia

Charles Stephens coordinates an HIV prevention program for black gay men in Atlanta, is a member of the Prevention Research dvocacy Working Group (PRAWG) of the Community HIV/AIDS obilization Project, and contributes to LifeLube.org. With an academic background in gender and sexuality studies, he is a firm advocate for interdisciplinary approaches that view HIV from a scientific, cultural and social lens.

"I guess what I'm calling for is an increased interdisciplinary institutionalization of HIV prevention," he says. "It's bafffling to me the people I meet in Public Health and the related disciplines, that don't know Susan Sontag's "Illness as Metaphor," or Samuel Delaney's "Bridge of Lost Desire," - or Edmund White, Larry Kramer, Thomas Glave. It's impossible to have the proper intellectual tools to do HIV prevention research, especially behavioral, on say black gay men, without knowing Marlon Riggs, Essex Hemphill, Joseph Beam, Isaac Julien."

Charles was drawn to IRMA because of its stance on combined approaches to HIV prevention and the role it plays in building bridges between biomedical scientists and people working with and exploring gay men's sexuality.

"I am committed to embracing the possibilities of biomedicalprevention: microbicides, vaccines, PREP and PEP, though not blindly, and it seems to me IRMA is the perfect context to do all of this," he says," All the while challenging the authority and privilege of biomedical science in gay men's sexual health!?
[Posted January 2010]

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